Faculty Research 1980 - 1989

Effect of 3-methylcholanthrene on atherosclerosis in two congenic strains of mice with different susceptibilities to methylcholanthrene-induced tumors.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1986

Keywords

Arteriosclerosis: et, Aryl-Hydrocarbon-Hydroxylases: me, Atherosclerosis: et, Cholesterol: me, Diet-Atherogenic, Lipoproteins-HDL: me, Methylcholanthrene, Mice, Mice-Inbred-Strains, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-P-H-S

First Page

3321

Last Page

3324

JAX Source

Cancer Res 1986 Jul; 46(7):3321-4.

Grant

HL28943, HL32087

Abstract

Inbred mouse strains AKXL-38 and AKXL-38a are congenic strains that differ at the Ah locus, a gene which affects the inducibility of the cytochrome P-450 enzymes. The Ah-responsive strain, AKXL-38a, is more susceptible to 3-methylcholanthrene-induced tumors than the Ah-nonresponsive strain, AKXL-38. We previously reported that 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) increased the number and the size of atherosclerotic lesions in a dose-dependent fashion. We now demonstrate that the effect of MC is greater in Ah-responsive mice than in Ah-nonresponsive mice indicating that Ah-responsive mice not only are more susceptible to MC-induced cancer but also are more susceptible to MC-enhanced atherosclerosis. Mice that received atherogenic diet for 14 weeks but no MC had 1.3-1.4 lesions/mouse regardless of genetic type. When mice were treated with MC, the number of lesions increased to 2.1 +/- 0.1 (SE) in Ah-nonresponsive mice, 2.6 +/- 0.2 in Ah-responsive mice, and 2.3 +/- 0.2 in the F1 hybrid. The total area involved in lesions was 9.3-12.6 micron2 in untreated animals. When mice were treated with MC, the total lesion area increased to 23.5 +/- 5.2 micron2 in Ah-nonresponsive mice, to 43.9 +/- 6.6 micron2 in Ah-responsive mice, and to 36.2 +/- 4.8 micron2 in F1 hybrids. Thus MC increased the lesion area in both strains of mice, but the increase was significantly greater in Ah-responsive than in Ah-nonresponsive animals. High density lipoprotein levels were not significantly affected by MC treatment or Ah genotype. In order to determine whether the increased susceptibility to MC-induced atherosclerosis segregated with the Ah gene, AKXL-38 and AKXL-38a mice were mated and the F1 progeny were backcrossed to the Ah-nonresponsive parent. Backcross progeny were tested for Ah genotype by zoxazolamine sleeping time. Measurements of lesions showed that increased susceptibility to MC-enhanced atherosclerosis segregated with the Ah locus.

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