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Photoreactivation of Ultraviolet Radiation-induced Skin and Eye Tumors of Monodelphis domestica¹

Center for Photomedicine, Lovelace Medical Foundation, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108 [R. D. L., L. A. A., A. B. S.], and Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 [R. J. M. F.]

Chronic exposure of the opossum Monodelphis domestica to UV radiation (UVR) leads to the formation of cutaneous and corneal tumors. Groups of shaved opossums were exposed 3 times/week to: (a) UVR alone; (b) UVR followed immediately by 1 h of photoreactivating light (PRL) (320–700 nm); (c) 1 h of PRL followed by UVR; and (d) 1 h of PRL alone. Exposures were terminated after 70 weeks of treatment. Analysis of data plotted as probability of tumor formation versus weeks from first exposure shows that post-UVR exposure to PRL significantly (P < 0.005) delayed the time to appearance of cutaneous tumors from a 50% probability of tumor formation at 73 weeks for those animals exposed to UVR alone to 128 weeks for those animals exposed to PRL after UVR. Pre-UVR exposure to PRL delayed the appearance of tumors by 6 weeks when compared to the UVR alone group, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The yield (number of tumors/surviving animal) of cutaneous tumors at 70 and 110 weeks following initiation of treatments also was significantly less in those animals exposed to PRL after, but not before, UVR. Based on the specificity of the PR repair pathway to act only on pyrimidine dimers, these results suggest that dimers are involved in the induction of cutaneous tumors. The results obtained with the induction of corneal tumors are more difficult to interpret. While exposure to PRL significantly delayed the appearance of corneal tumors, the magnitude of the effect was the same regardless of whether the PRL was given before or after each UVR exposure.

¹ This study was supported by Grant AR35442 from the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; by funds from the Lovelace Medical Foundation; and by the Office of Health and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-850R21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.

Received 7/25/91. Accepted 10/ 7/91.

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