Selection pressure and altered hepatocellular islands after a single injection of aflatoxin B1.

Development of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive focal populations was investigated subsequent to single injections of the hepatocarcinogens aflatoxin B1 (AfB1), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) and diethylnitrosamine (DEN). While DEN proved far more potent at inducing putative initiated hepatocytes, the AfB1 treatment was associated with a very rapid (3 weeks) development of lesions approaching nodular proportions. Autoradiographic investigation revealed selective incorporation of label into GST-P-positive hepatocytes and oval cells at the day 7 time point following AfB1 treatment. Administration of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) subsequent to carcinogen injection was associated with a decrease in the final yield of lesions and increased tritiated thymidine incorporation in perivenular zone 3 background hepatocytes. The results suggest that 'selection pressure', resulting in rapid growth and development of putative preneoplastic lesions, is inherent in a single injection of the mycotoxin and indicate that variations of the present short-term model may be useful for elucidating the mechanisms underlying AfB1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.