Abstract
Chronic administration of 17beta-oestradiol (via drinking water) or the oral contraceptive Enovid (norethynodrel and mestranol) (0-1 mg injected s.c. twice weekly) to nulliparous C3H/HeJ female mice, beginning at one month of age and terminating at 20 months (17beta-oestradiol) or 22 months (Enovid), significantly increased the incidence of mammary tumours over solvent-treated controls. Concurrent treatment of the steroid-treated mice with 2-bromo-alpha-ergocryptine (CB-154) (0-1 mg s.c. injected daily) significantly reduced mammary tumour incidence and mammary hyperplastic nodule development to the control level. CB-154 is an efficacious inhibitor of pituitary prolactin secretion. These results demonstrate that steroid-induced mammary gland dysplasias can be sharply reduced by chronic CB-154 treatment, and suggest that some of the mammary tumorigenic activities of oestrogenic steroids in C3H mice are mediated via an increased secretion of pituitary prolactin.
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Additional information
Supported by NIH Research Grant CA-13777 and American Cancer Society Research Grant ET-59.
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Welsch, C., Adams, C., Lambrecht, L. et al. 17β-oestradiol and Enovid mammary tumorigenesis in C3H/HeJ female mice: counteraction by concurrent 2-bromo-α-ergocryptine. Br J Cancer 35, 322–328 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1977.46
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1977.46