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Diminution of tumorigenesis initiated by 4-nitroquinoline-l-oxide by post-treatment with caffeine in mice

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Abstract

THE potent carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO)1 mimics ultraviolet effects2,3. Kondo4 proposed an idea to test the mutation theory of cancer by comparison of 4NQO carcino-genesis in mice and 4NQO3 or ultraviolet5 mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. In parallel with 4NQO mutagenesis in E.coli2,3,6, it was concluded that transformation initiated by 4NQO in cultured mouse cells is suppressed by holding in a non-DNA-replicating state7, due to elimination of 4NQO-purine adducts8 from DNA by an error-free excision repair9. There is another type of repair which works after DNA replication and is assumed to be error prone5. Again, in parallel with ultraviolet mutagenesis in E.coli10, Kakunaga7 has found that transformation of mouse cells by 4NQO is reduced greatly by post-treatment with caffeine. Zajdela and Latarjet11 reported that ultraviolet-inducible skin cancer in mice is suppressed by the presence of caffeine. The present paper reports that post-treatment with caffeine diminishes 4NQO-initiated lung tumorigenesis in mice.

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Author notes

  1. TAISEI NOMURA

    Present address: Department of Medical Genetics, Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Fundamental Radiology, Osaka University Medical School, Fukushima-ku, Osaka, 553, Japan

    TAISEI NOMURA

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  1. TAISEI NOMURA
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NOMURA, T. Diminution of tumorigenesis initiated by 4-nitroquinoline-l-oxide by post-treatment with caffeine in mice. Nature 260, 547–549 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260547a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260547a0

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