Glial tumoral proliferation induces changes in the state and physical properties of water during ENU-induction of brain tumors in rats.

Modifications of water state were analyzed during ethylnitrosourea-induction of brain tumor in rats. Four different steps were identified in the cancerization process according to NMR and histological findings. Two analogies were observed in the pattern of bound' water at decreasing temperatures: first the pattern was similar in tumor area and white matter, second the pattern was similar in the same area of normal brain tissue and cortical gray matter. This phenomenon, which corroborates previous reports on liver cancerization, points out that pathological proliferation of glial cells, and their progressive organization into multiple layers, is accompanied by a transformation of water properties at the cellular level.