Chronic oral administration of 1-nitrosopiperazine at high doses to MRC rats

1-Nitrosopiperazine was fed to two groups of rats as drinking water solutions containing 400 mg/liter (3.5 millimolar) and 800 mg/liter (7.0 millimolar), respectively. The treatment was 20 ml per rat per day, 5 days per week for life. In both groups many animals died with olfactory tumors (mostly esthesioneuroblastomas), the first at 36 weeks in the higher dose group, the first at 64 weeks in the lower dose group. There was also a small number of liver tumors in both groups. None of these tumors was seen in the untreated controls. The similarity of this tumor distribution to that produced by 1,4-dinitrosopiperazine suggests that the observed carcinogenicity of 1-nitrosopiperazine may be entirely due to its disproportionation in the acidic medium of the rat stomach. Chemical data supporting this interpretation are presented.