Carcinogenicities of 1-ethyl- and 1-amyl-1-nitrosourethans in female donryu rats: dose-effect relations

Groups of female Donryu rats were given solutions of 100, 50, and 25 ppm of 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourethan (ENUR), and of 400, 200, and 100 ppm of 1-amyl-1-nitrosourethan (ANUR) continuously in the drinking water. The incidence of tumors was nearly 100% in all groups treated with ENUR or ANUR, but with both chemicals the rats showed dose-dependent mean survival times. In the groups treated with ENUR, tumors were most frequent in the upper digestive tract and duodenum, whereas in groups given ANUR tumors were induced only in the upper digestive tract, with none in the duodenum. Tumors of the forestomach were more frequent than those of the esophagus and oral cavity and/or pharynx in groups treated with ENUR. In contrast, the target organs of ANUR were the oral cavity and/or pharynx, and the esophagus, rather than the forestomach. The carcinogenicities of these two chemicals are discussed in comparison with those of other 1-alkyl-1-nitrosourethans.