Diethylstilbestrol-induced jaundice in the Chinese and Armenian hamster

An unusual and impressive hyperbilirubinemia was induced in Chinese hamsters by administration of diethylstilbestrol (DES). This icterus was dose-dependent and affected females more severely than males. However, a similar mortality was detected in both sexes. Another hamster, the Armenian hamster, was even more susceptible to the icteric and lethal effects of DES. The hamster model of DES-induced icterus showed many clinical dissimilarities when compared to the human estrogen-induced jaundice, simple cholestatic jaundice. Furthermore, hepatic pathology was distinctly different as canalicular cholestatic was absent although other degenerative and regenerative hepatocellular changes were present. Livers of Armenian hamsters were more severely affected than were livers from Chinese hamsters and contained Mallory bodies even within 1 week after DES treatment. A modest, nonlethal jaundice also was detected in European hamsters after DES injection, whereas Syrian hamsters were not affected even after larger doses. This unique sensitivity to DES, and the spectrum of sensitivity within these related hamsters (Armenian greater than Chinese greater than European vs. resistant Syrian) provide an interesting model for study of DES effect on hepatic function.