Malignant neoplasms in rats fed lasiocarpine.

Lasiocarpine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid, was fed at a dietary concentration of 50/10(6) for 55 weeks, to 20 male F-344 rats. Malignant tumours developed in 17/20 animals between 48 and 59 weeks. Forty-five percent (9/20) developed angiosarcomas of the liver and 35% (7/20) had hepatocellular carcinomas. Other tumours included malignant adnexas tumour of the skin (1 rat) and lympohoma (1 rat). Lung metastases were observed in 4 animals with angiosarcoma of the liver and one animal with hepatocellular carcinoma. From one animal, angiosarcoma was successfully transplanted through 4 generations.