Antitumor effect of pyridoglutethimide, an aromatase inhibitor, on 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary tumors of rat.
The antitumor effects of pyridoglutethimide (PG; 3-ethyl-3-(4-pyridyl) piperidine -2, 6-dione), a new analogue of aminoglutethimide (AG), were examined in rats with DMBA-induced mammary tumors. On the day following ovariectomy, the DMBA-treated rats were divided into four groups. The rats in each group (n = 25) received testosterone (20 mg/kg/day) or testosterone (20 mg/kg/day) with PG or AG (50 mg/kg/day) daily 6 times per weeks for 4 weeks; tumor volume was measured once weekly. Mammary tumors were dramatically increased after the administration of testosterone. However, in the rats receiving PG or AG simultaneously with testosterone, the tumors were significantly reduced with decrease of serum estradiol levels. Thus PG may suppress the growth of estrogen-dependent mammary tumors.