Abstract
Carcinogenic agents such as N-methyl-N-nitrosourea can cause tumors. The aims of the present study were to evaluate and classify a subtype of AML (acute myeloid leukemia) that was induced by NMU. According to previous publications, NMU induces not only mammary cancer but also leukemia in Sprague–Dawley (S-D) rats. However, the subtype of leukemia involved in NMU-treated rats is unknown. We found that both organ weight and relative organ weights were significantly higher in NMU-exposed rats than in controls. Morphological changes of rat livers and spleens were assessed by histological evaluation (H&E staining), which found that these tissues were abnormal in appearance. Also, cytological examination of the blood showed immature white blood cells in a smear using Liu’s and Papanicolaou stains, indicating that gross abnormalities and histopathological changes were pathologically observed. NMU leukemia incidence was 97.1%. In this study, immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis was valuable in classifying the leukemia of poorly differentiated blasts induced by NMU. Paraffin blocks were stained for MPO, CD3, CD15, CD20, and CD34 markers. The NMU-induced group was positive for MPO, but negative for CD3, CD15, CD20, and CD34. These CD markers suggest that they are useful in helping diagnose APL (M3) leukemia. The model of NMU-induced leukemogenesis in an S-D rat suggests a more definite way to classify APL. This APL will provide an important tool for chemical carcinogenesis and leukemia studies.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- NMU:
-
N-methyl-N-nitrosourea
- AML:
-
Acute myeloid leukemia
- S-D rats:
-
Sprague–Dawley rats
- H&E stain:
-
Hematoxylin and eosin stain
- IHC stain:
-
Immunohistochemical stain
- MPO stain:
-
Myeloperoxidase stain
- PAS stain:
-
Periodic acid-Schiff stain
- CBC:
-
Complete blood count
- WBC:
-
White blood cell
- RBC:
-
Red blood cell
- PLT:
-
Platelet
- Hb:
-
Hemoglobin
- AST:
-
Aspartate aminotransferase
- ALT:
-
Alanine aminotransferase
- CD marker:
-
Cluster of differentiation marker
- O 6-meG:
-
O 6-methylguanine
References
Akashi K, Harada M, Shibuya T et al (1991) Simultaneous occurrence of myelomonocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma: involvement of common leukemic progenitors and their developmental abnormality of “lineage infidelity”. J Cell Physiol 148(3):446–456
Anand M, Ghara N, Kumar R et al (2005) Myeloperoxidase cytochemical negativity: an unexpected but intrinsic property of blasts of all phases of chronic myeloid leukemia. Ann Hematol 84(12):767–770
Baer MR, Stewart CC, Lawrence D et al (1998) Acute myeloid leukemia with 11q23 translocations: myelomonocytic immunophenotype by multiparameter flow cytometry. Leukemia 12(3):317–325
Beland FA, Dooley KL, Sheldon WG, Delongchamp RR (1988) Circadian variation in the induction of intestinal tumors by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea in male C57BL/6 N mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 80(5):325–330
Bennett JM, Catovsky D, Daniel MT et al (1985) Proposed revised criteria for the classification of acute myeloid leukemia A report of the French-American-British Cooperative Group. Ann Intern Med 103(4):620–625
Bennett JM, Catovsky D, Daniel MT et al (1991) Proposal for the recognition of minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukaemia (AML-MO). Br J Haematol 78(3):325–329
Berman JJ (1988) Methylnitrosourea induction of rat odontomas. Toxicol Pathol 16(2):309
Boileau TW, Liao Z, Kim S, Lemeshow S, Erdman JW Jr, Clinton SK (2003) Prostate carcinogenesis in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU)-testosterone-treated rats fed tomato powder, lycopene, or energy-restricted diets. J Natl Cancer Inst 95(21):1578–1586
Burns PA, Gordon AJ, Glickman BW (1988) Mutational specificity of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli. Carcinogenesis 9(9):1607–1610
Chan MM, Lu X, Merchant FM, Iglehart JD, Miron PL (2007) Serial transplantation of NMU-induced rat mammary tumors: a model of human breast cancer progression. Int J Cancer 121(3):474–485
Choi MY, Kim TY, Lee WS (1998) The role of CD34 in the immunophenotyping panel of leukemia. Korean J Clin Pathol 18(2):228–233
Christmann M, Kaina B (2000) Nuclear translocation of mismatch repair proteins MSH2 and MSH6 as a response of cells to alkylating agents. J Biol Chem 275(46):36256–36262
Chuang SS, Li CY (1997) Useful panel of antibodies for the classification of acute leukemia by immunohistochemical methods in bone marrow trephine biopsy specimens. Am J Clin Pathol 107(4):410–418
da Silva Franchi CA, Bacchi MM, Padovani CR, de Camargo JL (2003) Thymic lymphomas in Wistar rats exposed to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Cancer Sci 94(3):240–243
Degos L, Wang ZY (2001) All trans retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Oncogene 20(49):7140–7145
Dexter TM, Schofield R, Lajtha LG, Moore M (1974) Studies on the mechanisms of chemical leukaemogenesis. Br J Cancer 30(4):325–331
Domingo-Claros A, Larriba I, Rozman M et al (2002) Acute erythroid neoplastic proliferations. A biological study based on 62 patients. Haematologica 87(2):148–153
Drescher B, Ehm I, Fey F (1982) Characterization of an RNA-directed DNA polymerase from mouse spleen infected with leukaemia virus activated during N-methyl-N-nitroso urea-induced leukaemogenesis. Acta Virol 26(1–2):41–49
Elghetany MT, MacCallum JM, Davey FR (1990) The use of cytochemical procedures in the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic myeloid leukemia. Clin Lab Med 10(4):707–720
Fenaux P, Chomienne C, Degos L (2001) All-trans retinoic acid and chemotherapy in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. Semin Hematol 38(1):13–25
Garcia-Gonzalez MA, Morandeira MJ, Ucar A, Morandeira JR (2000) A new model for the induction of tumours in the forestomach of rats by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Eur Surg Res 32(5):315–321
Gullino PM, Pettigrew HM, Grantham FH (1975) N-nitrosomethylurea as mammary gland carcinogen in rats. J Natl Cancer Inst 54(2):401–414
Hafiz MG, Islam A (2009) Extensive skeletal lesions in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Mymensingh Med J 18(1):88–94
Hazardous Substances Data Base (2001) National library of medicine. http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB
Huggins CB, Ueda N (1984) Regression of myelocytic leukemia in rats after hypophysectomy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 81(2):598–601
Huggins CB, Grand L, Ueda N (1982) Specific induction of erythroleukemia and myelogenous leukemia in Sprague-Dawley rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79(17):5411–5414
IARC (1978) IARC monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans, vol 17. World Health Organization, Lyon
Iida S, Takeuchi G, Komatsu H et al (1991) Blastic form of acute erythremia: report of an autopsy case. Rinsho Ketsueki 32(11):1486–1491
Joshi VV, Frei JV (1970a) Effects of dose and schedule of methylnitrosourea on incidence of malignant lymphoma in adult female mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 45(2):335–339
Joshi VV, Frei JV (1970b) Gross and microscopic changes in the lymphoreticular system during genesis of malignant lymphoma induced by a single injection of methylnitrosourea in adult mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 44(2):379–394
Kanduc D (1995) N-methyl-N-nitrosourea evidences cell cycle associated transient sequences in hepatic replicating DNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 208(2):506–510
Kokkinakis DM, Watson ML, Honig LS, Rushing EJ, Mickey BE, Schold SC Jr (2001) Characterization of initiated cells in N-methylnitrosourea-induced carcinogenesis of the CNS in the adult rat. Neuro Oncol 3(2):99–112
Kunze E, Schulz H, Ahrens H, Gabius HJ (1997) Lack of an antitumoral effect of immunomodulatory galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced urinary bladder carcinogenesis in rats. Exp Toxicol Pathol 49(3–4):167–180
Lewis RE, Cruse JM, Sanders CM et al (2006) The immunophenotype of pre-TALL/LBL revisited. Exp Mol Pathol 81(2):162–165
Linari S, Vannucchi AM, Ciolli S et al (1998) Coexpression of erythroid and megakaryocytic genes in acute erythroblastic (FAB M6) and megakaryoblastic (FAB M7) leukaemias. Br J Haematol 102(5):1335–1337
Lowenberg B, Downing JR, Burnett A (1999) Acute myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med 341(14):1051–1062
Lu SH, Montesano R, Zhang MS et al (1986) Relevance of N-nitrosamines to esophageal cancer in China. J Cell Physiol Suppl 4:51–58
Mesarosova A, Hrivnakova A, Babusikova O (1993) Acute myeloid leukemia: correlation between purine metabolism enzyme activities and membrane immunophenotype. Neoplasma 40(6):341–345
Nauss KM, Locniskar M, Sondergaard D, Newberne PM (1984) Lack of effect of dietary fat on N-nitrosomethyl urea (NMU)-induced colon tumorigenesis in rats. Carcinogenesis 5(2):255–260
Newcomb EW (1997) Clonal evolution of N-methylnitrosourea-induced C57BL/6 J thymic lymphomas by analysis of multiple genetic alterations. Leuk Res 21(3):189–198
Newcomb EW, Bayona W, Pisharody S (1995) N-methylnitrosourea-induced Ki-ras codon 12 mutations: early events in mouse thymic lymphomas. Mol Carcinog 13(2):89–95
Patatanian E, Thompson DF (2008) Retinoic acid syndrome: a review. J Clin Pharm Ther 33(4):331–338
Pegg AE (1984) Methylation of the O6 position of guanine in DNA is the most likely initiating event in carcinogenesis by methylating agents. Cancer Invest 2(3):223–231
Pegg AE, Dolan ME, Moschel RC (1995) Structure, function, and inhibition of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol 51:167–223
Petrie K, Zelent A, Waxman S (2009) Differentiation therapy of acute myeloid leukemia: past, present and future. Curr Opin Hematol 16(2):84–91
Ramos-Vara JA (2005) Technical aspects of immunohistochemistry. Vet Pathol 42(4):405–426
Richardson KK, Richardson FC, Crosby RM, Swenberg JA, Skopek TR (1987) DNA base changes and alkylation following in vivo exposure of Escherichia coli to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea or N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 84(2):344–348
Roggli VL, Saleem A (1982) Erythroleukemia: a study of 15 cases and literature review. Cancer 49(1):101–108
Russo J, Russo IH (1996) Experimentally induced mammary tumors in rats. Breast Cancer Res Treat 39(1):7–20
Russo J, Gusterson BA, Rogers AE, Russo IH, Wellings SR, van Zwieten MJ (1990) Comparative study of human and rat mammary tumorigenesis. Lab Invest 62(3):244–278
Saffhill R, Margison GP, O’Connor PJ (1985) Mechanisms of carcinogenesis induced by alkylating agents. Biochim Biophys Acta 823(2):111–145
Sato H, Tamura Y, Ochiai Y et al (2003) The D4Mit12 locus on mouse chromosome 4 provides susceptibility to both gamma-ray-induced and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced thymic lymphomas. Cancer Sci 94(8):668–671
Schiffer CA (2003) Hematopoietic growth factors and the future of therapeutic research on acute myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med 349(8):727–729
Seidel G (1982) Determination of target cells in the by N-nitroso-N-methylurea induced leukemogenesis in the mouse. Arch Geschwulstforsch 52(6):451–458
Seidel G, Fey F (1979) Studies of the target cell problem in N-nitroso-N-methylurea induced leukemogenesis. Acta Biol Med Ger 38(10):1461–1465
Seidel HJ, Kreja L (1984) Leukemia induction by methylnitrosourea (MNU) in selected mouse strains. Effects of MNU on hemopoietic stem cells, the immune system and natural killer cells. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 108(2):214–220
Smith M, Barnett M, Bassan R, Gatta G, Tondini C, Kern W (2004) Adult acute myeloid leukaemia. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 50(3):197–222
Stirling RW (1994) Enzyme labels in immunocytochemistry. In: Bancroft JD, Cook HC (eds) Manual of histological techniques and their diagnostic application. Churchill Livingstone, New York
Swenberg JA, Koestner A, Wechsler W, Brunden MN, Abe H (1975) Differential oncogenic effects of methylnitrosourea. J Natl Cancer Inst 54(1):89–96
Tatematsu M, Yamamoto M, Iwata H et al (1993) Induction of glandular stomach cancers in C3H mice treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea in the drinking water. Jpn J Cancer Res 84(12):1258–1264
Thompson HJ, Singh M (2000) Rat models of premalignant breast disease. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 5(4):409–420
Torelli GF, Cascino A, Muscaritoli M et al (1997) Energy metabolism in cancer patients. Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol 43(4):183–188
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (2001) Data contained in the toxic chemical release inventory. http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/
Tsuda H, Fukushima S, Imaida K, Kurata Y, Ito N (1983) Organ-specific promoting effect of phenobarbital and saccharin in induction of thyroid, liver, and urinary bladder tumors in rats after initiation with N-nitrosomethylurea. Cancer Res 43(7):3292–3296
Warrell RP Jr, de The H, Wang ZY, Degos L (1993) Acute promyelocytic leukemia. N Engl J Med 329(3):177–189
Yoshizawa K, Yang J, Senzaki H et al (2000) Caspase-3 inhibitor rescues N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced retinal degeneration in Sprague–Dawley rats. Exp Eye Res 71(6):629–635
Zabezhinski MA, Pliss GB, Okulov VB, Petrov AS (1985) Skin tumours induced by local and systemic action of N-nitroso-compounds in rats. Arch Geschwulstforsch 55(2):117–122
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the grants from the Department of Health (DOH 098-TD-F-1B-098008), and the National Science Council (NSC 98-2313-B-040-005-MY2), Taiwan.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Yun-Ching Chang and Jeng-Dong Hsu contributed equally to the present study and therefore share co-first author.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chang, YC., Hsu, JD., Lin, WL. et al. High incidence of acute promyelocytic leukemia specifically induced by N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) in Sprague–Dawley rats. Arch Toxicol 86, 315–327 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0753-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0753-7