Toxicological Sciences 69, 42-48 (2002)
Copyright © 2002 by the Society of Toxicology
CARCINOGENICITY |
17ß-Estradiol Is a Hormonal Regulator of Mirex Tumor Promotion Sensitivity in Mice

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* Cell Signaling and Cancer Group, Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7633, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695;
CIIT Centers for Health Research, 6 Davis Drive, Box 12137, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2137; and
Department of Anatomy, Physiological Sciences, and Radiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Mirex, an organochlorine pesticide, is a potent non-phorbol ester tumor promoter in mouse skin. Previous studies have shown that female mice are 3 times more sensitive to mirex tumor promotion than male mice and that ovariectomized (OVX) female mice are resistant to mirex promotion, suggesting a role for ovarian hormones in mirex promotion. To determine whether the ovarian hormone 17-ß estradiol (E2) is responsible for the sensitivity of female mice to mirex promotion, female mice were initiated with DMBA; 2 weeks later groups of mice were OVX and implants, with or without E2, were surgically implanted subcutaneously. These mice were treated topically twice weekly with mirex for 26 weeks. E2 implanted OVX mice demonstrated high normal physiologic levels of serum E2 throughout the tumor promotion experiment. E2 implants restored by 80% the intact mirex-sensitive phenotype to the OVX mice. Consistent with a role for E2 and ER
and ERß, treatment of DMBA-initiated female mice with topical ICI 182,780, an estrogen-receptor antagonist, reduced mirex tumor multiplicity by 30%. However, in cells co-transfected with ER
or ERß and estrogen-responsive promoter reporter, mirex did not stimulate promoter reporter activity, suggesting that the promotion effect of mirex is downstream of ER
/ß. Finally, a tumor promotion study was conducted to determine whether E2 implants could increase the sensitivity of male mice to mirex promotion. E2 implants in male mice did increase sensitivity to mirex promotion; however, the implants did not produce the full female sensitivity to mirex tumor promotion. Collectively, these studies indicate that E2 is a major ovarian hormone responsible for mirex tumor promotion sensitivity in female mice.
Key Words: mirex; skin; 17ß-estradiol; tumor promotion; endocrine.
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