Anti-carcinogenic action of phenobarbital given simultaneously with diethylnitrosamine in the rat

The present work has been planned in order to elucidate the effect of phenobarbital (PB: 15 mg per rat of ingested dose) on carcinogenesis when it is administered simultaneously with diethylnitrosamine (DEN: 10 mg/kg/day). Wistar rats (180 g) were treated by DEN alone or by DEN + PB during 2, 4 and 6 weeks according to our schedule for hepatocarcinogenesis. After the end of the treatment, the number and the size of induced PAS positive preneoplastic foci was significantly reduced when PB was given simultaneously with DEN for 4 and 6 weeks. The mitotic inhibition and the production of micronuclei normally observed after partial hepatectomy in DEN treated rats were also significantly decreased in DEN + PB treated rats. When the treatment last only 2 weeks, the presence of PB did not change significantly the last parameters. In DEN + PB treated rats, the survival was prolonged and the tumor incidence decreased as compared with the results obtained by DEN alone. It is concluded that PB, which promotes carcinogenesis when administered after the DEN treatment, reduces the carcinogen effect when given simultaneously with DEN. This 'anti-carcinogen' effect acts on the initiation as well as on the promotion of the precancerous lesions. Biochemical investigations are in progress to obtain more information about this 'paradoxical' PB effect.