Binding of radioactivity after transplacental administration of tritiated N-nitrosodiethylamine to Syrian golden hamsters.

Tritiated N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) was administered to two groups of female Syrian golden hamsters on days 11 and 15 of pregnancy. Binding of radioactivity was measured in maternal and fetal organs after various intervals by liquid scintillation counting of dehydrated and combusted tissues. No bound activity was found in the fetal tracheas on day 11 of gestation, when transplacental administration of DEN is known to be noncarcinogenic for the offspring. On day 15, when DEN administration caused a 95% incidence of tracheal tumors in the offspring, bound radioactivity was found in the fetal tracheas. In the respiratory tracts of the mothers, the distribution of bound radioactivity correlated with the distribution of target cell types. Binding was high in segmental bronchi and bronchioles which contain numerous Clara cells, the major source of DEN-induced pulmonary tumors. No binding occurred in the main bronchi, which do not possess Clara cells.