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Serial Transplantation of Krebs-2 and Ehrlich Ascites Tumors to Rats^*

( Division of Biological and Medical Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill.)

The Krebs-2 and Ehrlich mouse ascites carcinomas have both been successfully carried through 50 transplant generations in rats.

Initially, the cells increased exponentially, and the proliferation rates were equal to those in the original host. Growth rate leveled off 48–72 hours after an inoculum of about 10⁸ cells, and regression occurred later. Ascitic volume and cell number were parallel for 2 days; later, ascitic fluid might continue to accumulate after cell growth had stopped or during regression. Regression was accompanied by a heavy infiltration of leukocytes.

Deaths occurred earlier in rats than in mice given an equivalent inoculum in terms of body weight; if a rat survived for 8 days, the tumor always regressed, and the rat was immune to reinoculation. The Krebs tumor was lethal for a larger proportion of rats than the Ehrlich tumor.

When tumor cells from successive rat passages were inoculated back into mice, the same growth rate was seen as in stock mice.

The tumor grew to a lesser extent in younger rats than in mature ones.

Both tumors have maintained their identities through 50 rat passages. No change in the chromosome number distribution has been apparent, although cell size increased somewhat in the course of growth in the rat of a transplant from the mouse.

^* This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Received 7/ 5/57.