Enhanced pancreatic and skin tumorigenesis in cabbage-fed hamsters and mice

Studies were conducted to evaluate the ability of dietary dried cabbage supplements to inhibit pancreatic carcinogenesis in hamsters and skin tumorigenesis in mice. Pancreatic cancer was induced by treatment with 40 mg/kg body wt N-nitrosobis-(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP). Cabbage was fed from before carcinogen treatment in low fat diet and, beginning 1 week after BOP treatment, cabbage was given in low fat and high fat diets in comparison with the respective non-cabbage-containing diets. Dried cabbage was incorporated at 9 and 11% levels into the low and high fat diets. Feeding cabbage in the high fat diet elevated the yield of BOP-induced pancreatic ductular carcinoma (1.6 carcinomas/effective animal) in comparison with that observed in hamsters fed cabbage in a low fat diet or in those given a high fat diet without cabbage, 0.6-0.8 carcinomas/effective animal (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, the incidence of BOP-induced gall bladder adenocarcinoma was elevated in cabbage-fed hamsters irrespective of dietary fat intake. Effects of dietary fat and cabbage on food consumption, body weight, and serum T3 and T4 values are described. Skin tumorigenesis was induced in SENCAR mice by 10 nmol 7,12 dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and promoted beginning 1 week later with twice weekly applications of 2 micrograms 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA). Dried cabbage was incorporated into AIN semi-purified diets from before DMBA treatment and throughout TPA treatment. Skin papilloma yield was elevated in DMBA-initiated TPA-promoted mice that were fed diets containing 10% cabbage. Mice fed cabbage developed an average of 8.45 papillomas per mouse following 22 weeks of promotion while mice given control diet developed 7.25 papillomas per mouse (P less than 0.001). Cabbage feeding did not influence survival, food consumption or body weight of the mice. These results suggest the need for further research on the use of cabbage as a chemopreventive measure.