| Abstract: | Fumaric acid (FA) suppressed the carcinogenesis in the liver of rats fed 3'-methyl-4-(dimethylamino)azobenzene (3'-Me-DAB), and a study was performed to examine the effect of FA on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and subcellular structures of hepatocytes under the anticarcinogenic regimens. Male Donryu strain rats were given 3'-Me-DAB by being fed a diet containing 0.06% 3'-Me-DAB for 50 d. They were then given a diet containing 1% FA and drinking water containing 0.025% FA for 53 to 69 weeks. Hepatocytes were isolated from the liver by the collagenase perfusion method and placed in culture, and their activity for DNA synthesis was measured in terms of the incorporation of 3H]dThd into DNA. An enhanced DNA synthesis of hepatocytes was noted in the rats given FA, indicating that FA enhanced the proliferation of hepatocytes to counteract the carcinogenic effect of 3'-Me-DAB. An electron microscopic examination indicated that the distribution of subcellular organella was almost normal in the FA-treated hepatocytes. |
