Influence of caffeic acid and other o-dihydroxybenzene derivatives on N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-initiated rat forestomach carcinogenesis

Promotion effects of the o-dihydroxybenzene derivatives, protocatechuic acid (PCA), dopamine hydrochloride (DAH), dl-dopa and caffeic acid on forestomach and glandular stomach carcinogenesis were investigated in rats pretreated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Groups of 20 male F344 rats were given a single intragastric administration of 150 mg/kg body wt MNNG and starting 1 week later then received diet containing 1.5% PCA, 1.5% DAH, 1.5% dl-dopa or 1% caffeic acid or basal diet alone for 51 weeks and then killed. Other groups of 10–15 rats were given PCA, DAH, dl-dopa or basal diet alone without the MNNG pretreatment. On histological assessment, the incidences of forestomach papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas were significantly enhanced in the group treated with caffeic acid (95 and 100%) as compared with the control values (35 and 10%). Although the incidence was not different, the number of papillomas per rat in the group given DAH (0.79 ± 0.79) was also significantly increased (0.35 ± 0.49). PCA and dl-dopa treatments did not modify the development of neoplastic lesions in the forestomach epithelium to any significant extent. None of the four chemicals enhanced glandular stomach carcinogenesis. The results thus demonstrated that whereas caffeic acid and DAH respectively, exert strong and weak promotion activity for rat forestomach carcinogenesis this promotion potential is not shared by all dihydroxybenzene derivatives. An influence of substituents in the para position in addition to the o-dihydroxy moiety is indicated.