Dermal oncogenicity studies on various ethyleneamines in male C3H mice

The dermal oncogenic potential of diethylenetriamine, high purity and commercial grades (DETA-HP and DE-TA-C), triethylenetetramine (TETA), tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), and polyamine HPA No. 2 was assessed by applying 25-microliter aliquots of aqueous solutions to the skin of groups of 50 male C3H/HeJ mice. The concentrations applied were 5.0, 5.0, 5.0, 25.0, and 10.0% by volume for DETA-HP, DETA-C, TETA, TEPA, and HPA No. 2, respectively. Applications were made thrice weekly until the death of the animals. A negative control group received deionized water (solvent) only. All animals were individually housed. No treatment-related skin tumors were observed, nor was there evidence of increased incidence of any internal tumor. Twenty TEPA-treated mice had hyperkeratosis and 13 had necrosis of the epidermis, both indicative of skin irritation. Such lesions were absent or occurred very infrequently in the other groups of mice. The mean survival times were 587, 662, 627, 591, 601, and 626 days for the DETA-HP, DETA-C, TETA, TEPA, HPA No. 2, and water control groups, respectively. In no case was the mortality rate significantly different from that of the controls. The results indicate that none of these compounds was oncogenic under the conditions of these studies.