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Query: UMLS:C0596263 (carcinogenesis)
 64,820 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Ionic iron at physiological pH hydrolyzes into insoluble aggregates, which disperse on slight acidification. Uncontrolled ionic iron promotes autoxidation, which crosslinks biomolecules and produces destructive activated oxygen. Defenses against autoxidative crosslinking include: 1. ferritin, the macromolecular scavenger of iron; 2. metabolic turnover, which prevents irreversible crosslinking through early catabolic degradation and replacement; and 3. enzymatic deactivation of oxygen. I am proposing that the anticrosslinking defenses are defeated by transient actions of metabolic perturbations, toxicants, oxidants and "foreign bodies", which cause oxidative crosslinking of proteins and lipids into irreversible tissue imprint: indigestible bodies containing porous limited-access spaces (LASs). The pores exclude the macromolecular ferritin and the digestive and antiautoxidation enzymes but admit ionic iron which, sheltered from ferritin, accumulates into decontrolled-iron pathogen (DIP). DIP utilizes the energy of ambient pH fluctuations to erupt from the LAS, swamp the available ferritin, poison the surroundings, catalyze autoxidation and crosslink cell components into additional LAS carriers. With time and sufficient promotion by pH fluctuations or metal-complexing agents, DIP and LAS expand. DIP injures through heavy-metal inhibition of life processes and catalysis of autoxidation. Typically, carcinogenic initiators are protein denaturants, cell poisons, "foreign bodies" and autoxidation catalysts. These are DIP-initiating properties, and DIP may be a preneoplastic stage of carcinogenesis. A DIP-model interpretation is given for the growth of asbestos bodies. DIP is an inorganic parasite. It may envelope and attack phagocytized particles.
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PMID:Biological autoxidation. I. Decontrolled iron: an ultimate carcinogen and toxicant: an hypothesis. 3 81

Functional markers and growth behavior of abnormal hepatocytes at several stages of liver carcinogenesis were studied. Early lesions, i.e., hyperplastic foci and areas, did not accumulate iron in siderotic livers, had persistent glycogen stores, were not more agglutinable by concanavalin A, and were associated with alpha-fetoprotein secretion, but were not independent secretors of high amounts. The cells in the early lesions had an increased mitotic index, but cells from livers with early lesions did not have an increased survival in cell culture or the ability to grow in soft agar. The more developed lesions, hyperplastic nodules, also did not store iron, had persistent glycogen, did not display increased concanavalin A agglutinability, and were not independent secretors of high levels of alpha-fetoprotein. Similarly, nodule cells were proliferative but did not display an increase in survival in cell culture. In addition, both iso- and autotransplantation of nodules into mammary fat pads resulted in persistence but not growth of nodule cells. On the other hand, hepatocellular carcinomas regularly grew upon transplantation. Thus, early lesions and hyperplastic nodules were proliferative lesions did not possess autonomous growth capability comparable to that of hepatocellular carcinomas.
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PMID:Functional markers and growth behavior of preneoplastic hepatocytes. 5 21

The ESR method was employed to study the distribution of the coordinative paramegnetic centers on the energy chain of electron transport and on the detoxifying system during carcinogenesis caused by a disturbance of the normal hormonal balance in the organism and at the tumour regression stage achieved with estrogen - in tumours of the ovary, spleen, liver and adrenals. At various stages of the hormonal carcinogenesis and under hormonal control both quantitative and qualitative changes on the paramagnetic centers were found. The tumour growth on liver and adrenals lowers the level of the catalytic form of the cytochrome P-450 and of the non-heme iron complexes. In metastases of ovarian tumours the kinetics of the triplet signal development is registered. In the tumour and on the liver an antibate change of the intensities of the signal was observed with g-factors of 2,1 and 2,15. At the tumour tissues a shift of the g-factor of free radicals was found - from g=2.005 to g=2.000. When a complete regression of tumours occured under hormonal balance control, the characteristics of the ESR spectra on the liver and adrenals restores to their values on intact tissues.
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PMID:[Coordinative paramagnetic enzyme centers during hormonal carcinogenesis and tumor regression under conditions of hormonal regulation]. 19 Oct 93

Some polynuclear aromatics (PNA) have been found to be potent carcinogens for all tissues and organs of experimental animals that have been exposed to them, but different dose levels are needed for these effects. They have been known for decades to cause cancer at the site of application but also at certain sites distant from the area of contact. Although some hydrocarbons are potent and complete carcinogens, the majority of related hydrocarbons was originally found to be inactive. Since they generally appear together, it was important to know more about their interaction, particularly whether they would synergize, or antagonize. The polycyclic hydrocarbons have been studied by subcutaneous injection, where they prove very potent carcinogens. They are also very active on the skin of mice where they produce cancer on prolonged application. Inhalation studies, require larger doses yielded negative results until particulate matter was introduced which facilitated the development of lung tumors. Although iron oxide dust was used initially, other dusts were also capable of enhancing the response of the tissue to benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenesis. This point is of importance, particularly since the inhalation of PNA in situations of air pollution or coal mining involves particulates, although of a different type. Soot is not a homogenous substance and several factors determine its properties. Soots will lose some of the absorbed chemicals during their residence in air, but they retain their PNAs for long periods of time when they reach the soil. The carcinogenicity of PNAs in the adsorbed state may be completely absent, depending on particle size of the soot and availability of eluting capability of the tissues or cells in contact with the soot. Whenever the carcinogenic polynuclear aromatics can be eluted they will be active in producing cancer if their residence is adequate. There seems to be no reason to assume that a large increase in coal combustion in the future will by necessity lead to greater risks of cancer to the coal miners or the general urban dweller, because activities to be started now can take into consideration the requirements necessary for control of air pollution in mines as well as in cities. If new uses of coal will be developed, it will be a completely different situation, and statements about the carcinogenic risk from coal utilization do not apply there. Although some of the same carcinogenic PNAs are involved in the health hazards from those processes, other carcinogens and also cocarcinogens will be present, and the exposed workers will not have the apparent benefits of adsorption of PNAs on soot.
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PMID:Health effects of coal mining and combustion: carcinogens and cofactors. 54 Jun 18

This study demonstrates marked differences in the incidences of sarcomas in Fischer rats within 2 years after a single im injection of 4 insoluble nickel-containing powders: amorphous nickel monosulfide (NiS), nickel subsulfide (alphaNi3S2), partially converted nickel-iron sulfide matte, and metallic nickel. The powders (less than 2 um median particle diameters) were administered in penicillin suspension, and each powder was tested at 2 dosages. Whereas alphaNi3S2 was highly carcinogenic, amorphous NiS did not induce any tumors. The carcinogenic potency of partially converted nickel-iron sulfide matte was less than alphaNi3S2 but greater than Ni powder. No sarcomas occurred at the injection site in two groups of control rats that received im injections of penicillin or Fe powder. The observed differences in carcinogenic potencies of alphaNi3S2 and amorphous NiS may provide an experimental approach to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of nickel carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Comparisons of carcinogenicities of nickel compounds in rats. 94 Sep 63

The ability of the iron associated with asbestos to catalyze damage to phi X174 RFI DNA was determined and compared with iron mobilized from asbestos. Asbestos (1 mg/ml) suspended for 30 min in 50 mM NaCl containing 0.5 micrograms phi X174 RFI DNA, pH 7.5, did not catalyze detectable amounts of DNA single-strand breaks (SSB). However, addition of ascorbate (1 mM) resulted in 19, 26, 7 or 8% DNA with SSB for crocidolite, amosite, chrysotile or tremolite respectively. The percentage of DNA with SSB induced by each form of asbestos was directly related to its iron content. Inclusion of desferrioxamine B, which binds Fe(III) rendering it redox inactive, completely inhibited asbestos-dependent formation of DNA SSB, suggesting that iron was responsible for catalyzing the formation of DNA SSB. Mobilization of Fe(II) from crocidolite by citrate, EDTA or nitrilotriacetate (1 mM) in the absence of ascorbate resulted in 15, 33 or 63% DNA with SSB respectively. This activity was completely inhibited by compounds considered to be .OH scavengers, i.e. mannitol, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide or salicylate (100 mM). Preincubation of crocidolite with citrate (1 mM) for 24 h resulted in mobilization of 52 microM iron and increased ascorbate-dependent induction of DNA SSB compared with crocidolite that was preincubated without citrate. Iron mobilized by citrate was entirely responsible for crocidolite-dependent formation of DNA SSB as evidenced by complete inhibition with desferrioxamine B. Therefore, the results of the present study strongly suggest that iron was responsible for asbestos-dependent generation of oxygen radicals, which resulted in the formation of DNA SSB. Mobilization of iron by chelators, followed by redox cycling, greatly enhanced crocidolite-dependent formation of DNA SSB. Thus, mobilization of iron in vivo by low mol. wt chelators may lead to the increased production of reactive oxygen species resulting in damage to biomolecules, such as DNA.
Carcinogenesis 1992 Apr
PMID:Iron mobilization from crocidolite asbestos greatly enhances crocidolite-dependent formation of DNA single-strand breaks in phi X174 RFI DNA. 131 28

Fecapentaenes form a class of potent fecal mutagens and have been suggested to play an initiating role in colon carcinogenesis. Although several indications have been found that fecapentaenes may induce oxidative DNA damage as well as DNA alkylation, the mechanism of genotoxicity remains unknown. In this study, electron spin resonance spectroscopy with several spin traps has been used in order to determine whether reactive oxygen species can be formed by fecapentaene-12 (FP-12). No specific conditions could be defined that resulted in the direct formation of oxygen radicals from FP-12. However, peroxidation of FP-12 by various peroxidative enzymes has been shown to result in the formation of superoxide adducts of the spin traps alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-t-butylnitrone and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). Addition of superoxide dismutase resulted in a decreased spectrum intensity, whereas the hydroxyl radical scavenger t-butyl alcohol (tBA) appeared of no influence on the signal, both confirming the formation of superoxide. The formation of hydroxyl radical spin adducts has been demonstrated after peroxidation of FP-12 in incubations with the spin-trapping agent 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine (TMP). Further, the effects of scavenging hydroxyl radicals with respect to the genotoxic potential of FP-12 in the Salmonella mutagenicity assay has been investigated. It was clearly shown that radical scavenging reduced the number of revertants in Salmonella strains TA100, TA102 and TA104. This mutagenicity-reducing effect was more convincing using both spin traps DMPO and TMP as compared to the effect of hydroxyl radical scavengers tBA and DMSO. Based on these findings, a reaction scheme is proposed that suggests the formation of superoxide after peroxidation of FP-12, which is subsequently converted to hydroxyl radicals by the iron-catalysed Haber-Weiss reaction.
Carcinogenesis 1992 Jul
PMID:Electron spin resonance spectroscopy of oxygen radicals generated by synthetic fecapentaene-12 and reduction of fecapentaene mutagenicity to Salmonella typhimurium by hydroxyl radical scavenging. 132 51

C57BL/10ScSn mice administered iron--dextran and fed the environmental pollutants hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) develop hepatic nodules and carcinomas within 18 months. A range of lesions from the livers were analysed for the presence of mutations in the Ha-ras proto-oncogene at codon 61 using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify DNA from formalin-fixed sections, followed by oligonucleotide hybridization. Only two mutations from 23 preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions induced by HCB were detected (a focus of altered cells and a trabecular cell carcinoma). With Aroclor 1254 no mutations were detected in 28 areas at various stages of carcinogenesis analysed. Sequencing of the two mutations generated by HCB showed a C-->T transversion at the first base of codon 61 (carcinoma) and an A-->T transversion at the second base (proliferative focus). Thus, in marked contrast to some other systems of mouse liver tumour induction, hepatocarcinogenesis caused by HCB and PCBs in C57BL/10ScSn mice is an example of carcinogenesis which does not involve a high frequency of Ha-ras gene mutation at codon 61.
Carcinogenesis 1992 Oct
PMID:Search for Ha-ras codon 61 mutations in liver tumours caused by hexachlorobenzene and Aroclor 1254 in C57BL/10ScSn mice with iron overload. 142 54

32P-postlabeling analysis, a highly sensitive method for the detection and measurement of covalent carcinogen-DNA adducts and other DNA modifications, does not require radioactive test substances and, therefore, can be applied to DNA of mammals, including humans exposed to low doses of environmental or occupational genotoxicants. The basic procedure entails the enzymatic incorporation of 32P-label into hydrolysis products of DNA, followed by chromatographic mapping and autoradiography of the 32P-labeled digestion products and quantitative scintillation spectrometry. Microgram amounts of DNA are analyzed: Thus the assay is suited for limited amounts of cells or tissues. Various versions of the assay afford different sensitivities of adduct detection. A single aromatic or bulky/hydrophobic adduct in 10(8)-10(10) nucleotides can be detected and measured (corresponding to 0.3-30 amol adduct/micrograms DNA or 0.1-10 nmol adduct/mol DNA-P). In animal models, the assay has been successfully applied to a variety of mutagenic (genotoxic) as well as nonmutagenic carcinogens. In humans, DNA specimens from cigarette smokers, iron foundry workers, and coke oven workers whose total aromatic adduct levels ranged from 1 adduct in 10(6)-10(8) DNA nucleotides have been examined by 32P-postlabeling. The assay also detects DNA modifications--Indigenous (I)-compounds--that increase with age in untreated animals. I-compound profiles and levels are highly species-, strain-, sex-, and tissue-specific, and also depend on diet composition. Caloric restriction, a highly efficient method for improving resistance to carcinogenesis and extending life span, increased rather than decreased I-compound levels in various tissues of male rats. Nonmutagenic hepatocarcinogens reduced levels of I-compounds in the target organ. Because of the specificity of this effect, reduction of I-compound levels appears to represent a novel biomarker for the action of nonmutagenic carcinogens. DNA from various hepatomas was found largely devoid of I-compounds. The results support a possible antineoplastic and antiaging role of these DNA modifications.
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PMID:Exogenous and endogenous DNA modifications as monitored by 32P-postlabeling: relationships to cancer and aging. 142 86

Oxidative DNA damage is involved in mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, aging, radiation effects, and the action of several anticancer drugs. Accumulated evidence indicates that iron may play an important role in those processes. We studied the in vitro effect of low concentrations of Fe(II) alone or Fe(III) in the presence of reducing agents on supercoiled plasmid DNA. The assay, based on the relaxation and linearization of supercoiled DNA, is simple yet sensitive and quantitative. Iron mediated the production of single and double strand breaks in supercoiled DNA. Iron chelators, free radical scavengers, and enzymes of the oxygen reduction pathways modulated the DNA damage. Fe(III)-nitrilotriacetate (NTA) plus either H2O2, L-ascorbate, or L-cysteine produced single and double strand breaks as a function of reductant concentration. A combination of 0.1 microM Fe(III)-NTA and 100 microM L-ascorbate induced detectable DNA strand breaks after 30 min at 24 degrees C. Whereas superoxide dismutase was inhibitory only in systems containing H2O2 as reductant, catalase inhibited DNA breakage in all the iron-mediated systems studied. The effect of scavengers and enzymes indicates that H2O2 and .OH are involved in the DNA damaging process. These reactions may account for the toxicity and carcinogenicity associated with iron overload.
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PMID:Iron-mediated DNA damage: sensitive detection of DNA strand breakage catalyzed by iron. 143 83


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