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Effect of Short-Term Feeding of Sodium Selenite on 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced Mammary Carcinogenesis in the Rat¹

Departments of Home Economics [H. J. T.] and Mathematics [L. D. M., S. K.], University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, and Food and Drug Research Laboratories, Inc., Waverly, New York 14892 [P. J. B.]

The inhibitory activity of short-term feeding of one of four concentrations of dietary selenium against the induction of mammary gland carcinomas by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) was studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats. When 28 days old, the animals were placed on a Torula yeast diet formulation which contained, by analysis, either 0.05, 0.15, 1.05, or 2.06 µg of selenium, as sodium selenite, per g of diet. Mammary cancer was induced by a single p.o. administration of either 7.5 or 15.0 mg DMBA at 50 days of age. The animals were maintained on the above diets until 14 days after carcinogen treatment at which time all animals were transferred to a chow diet containing 0.21 µg of selenium per g of diet. The study was terminated 120 days after DMBA administration. The concentrations of selenium in the liver and mammary tissue measured at the time of DMBA treatment increased with increasing levels of dietary selenium (p < 0.05). At the low dose of DMBA, there was a trend towards reduction in the number of cancers with increased amounts of selenium, but the only significant difference occurred between groups fed the next to lowest and the highest level of selenium. At the high dose of DMBA, the number of observed cancers showed a strong dose effect (p < 0.05). In addition, tumor load was significantly reduced in selenium-supplemented rats (p < 0.05), and there was a significant delay (p < 0.05) in the time to appearance of the cancers of animals receiving the highest level of selenium when compared with those receiving the lowest level. The dietary concentrations of selenium shown to inhibit the early stage(s) of cancer induction in this system were both significantly lower and fed for a shorter time interval than that which was previously reported.

¹ Scientific Contribution 1159 from the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. Supported in part by Grant CA 28109 from the National Cancer Institute and the Central University Research Fund, University of New Hampshire.

² To whom reprint requests should be addressed, at Department of Home Economics, Pettee Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, N. H. 03824.

Received 4/19/82. Accepted 8/17/82.

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