Tumorigenicity test of 1,3- and 1,8-dinitropyrene in BALB/c mice

1,3-Dinitropyrene (DNP) and 1,8-DNP (CAS: 42397-65-9) are very potent mutagens and induce a frameshift-type mutation in the Salmonella test system. Each compound was tested for tumorigenicity in BALB/c mice by sc inoculation of 0.05 mg of the compound once a week for 20 weeks. Tumors developed at the site of injection of 1,8-DNP in 6 of 15 mice up to 60 weeks after the first injection. The incidence of tumors was statistically significant at a P-value of less than .05 but not of less than .01. Therefore, the carcinogenicity of 1,8-DNP in BALB/c mice was concluded to be weaker than that of benzo[a]pyrene [(BP) CAS: 50-32-8], which induced a 100% tumor incidence when it was injected at the same dose as that of 1,8-DNP. No tumors occurred at the injection site in mice given 1,3-DNP. Most of the tumors induced by 1,8-DNP and BP showed histologic features characteristic of malignant fibrous histiocytoma.