Mallory body formation in hepatic nodules of mice ingesting dieldrin

Mallory bodies (MBs) were observed in hepatic nodules induced by long-term administration of a diet containing 10 p.p.m. of dieldrin to C57BL/6 mice. MBs were first detected after 46 weeks and were seen in 26 of 41 mice which developed hepatic nodules. The MBs were limited to the nodules in 25 mice. Twenty-one of the nodules were carcinomas and 20 of those contained MBs. Our observations suggest that MBs may be a marker for neoplastic transformation and may prove useful in experimental studies of carcinogenesis.