Effect of epidermal growth factor on rat stomach carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

The effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on rat stomach carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitro-soguanidine (MNNG) was studied. Male Wistar rats given MNNG for 30 weeks in drinking water (80 micrograms/ml) were treated with s.c. injections of human EGF (10 micrograms/kg, once daily) at various stages of the carcinogenesis. Four (30.8%) out of 13 rats treated with EGF immediately after cessation of the MNNG treatment had stomach tumors including one adenocarcinoma, one adenoma and two carcinoids. No stomach tumor was found in rats treated with MNNG alone or in those treated with MNNG and EGF for different periods such as synchronously for 10 weeks, for 30 weeks or throughout the experiment. These findings suggest a possible enhancing effect of EGF on stomach carcinogenesis in rats.