Carcinogenicity tests of fecapentaene-12 in mice and rats.
Fecapentaenes, a class of direct-acting bacterial mutagens, have been isolated from the feces and intestinal tract of humans on a Western meat-containing diet. Two bioassays to test pure fecapentaene-12 (FP-12) for carcinogenicity were performed. FP-12 in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution was injected i.p. into newborn ICR/MA mice on days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 21. The mice killed after 21 months had neoplasms in liver, lung, glandular stomach and subcutaneous fibrosarcoma. Intrarectal (i.r.) infusion of FP-12 in an aqueous vehicle into male F344 rats for 71 weeks, and killing the rats after 21 weeks more, displayed no evidence of neoplasia associated with FP-12 exposure. The positive control, N-nitrosomethylurea (NMU), given i.r. as 4 2-mg doses in 2 weeks, as expected, yielded multiple colonic neoplasms in less than 11 months. Fecapentaene may exert its effect in bacteria and in newborn mice through the generation of hydroxy radicals. However, adult rodent and human colon may have adequate biochemical defense mechanisms against low level, even continuous exposures to chemicals like FP-12, and thus be at low risk of neoplasia, as was found.