High sensitivity of the LEC rat liver to the carcinogenic effect of diethylnitrosamine.

The initiation sensitivity of the liver of the LEC (Long-Evans with a cinnamon-like coat color) rat, a new mutant strain with a high incidence of spontaneous liver tumors, was studied by treatment with low doses of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) coupled with modified Solt and Farber's selection. LEC and control LEA (Long-Evans with an agouti coat color) rats received i.p. injections of 10 mg/kg of DEN, then selected by feeding with a diet containing 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) for 7 days combined with partial hepatectomy (PH). The numbers of placental glutathione S-transferase (GST-P)-positive foci in the livers of LEC rats were 10 times higher than those in LEA rats. These results suggested a high sensitivity of the LEC rat liver to the carcinogenic effect of DEN. The association between initiation sensitivity and spontaneous liver-tumor development and the possible usefulness of the LEC rat for in vivo short-term tests of hepatocarcinogens are discussed.