[Enzymic spectrum of preneoplastic and neoplastic changes induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in mouse kidneys]

Mouse renal cell tumors (RCT) were induced in male CBA male mice by 5 subcutaneous injections of 8 mg 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) per kg body weight once a week. After a lag period of two years the kidneys were removed, and serial cryostat sections of the kidneys were histochemically analyzed for the following parameters: Glycogen content, basophilia, and activities of glycogen synthase (SYN), glycogen phosphorylase (PHO), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), hexokinase (HK), pyruvate kinase (PK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malic enzyme (ME), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) and glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT). RCT displayed the same histochemical profile irrespective of their size and growth pattern. In comparison with normal kidney epithelium, the neoplastic cells exhibited elevated activities of enzymes for glycolysis (HK, PK LDH) and the pentose phosphate pathway (G6PDH) while negative G6Pase and low SDH activity were observed in these cells. The majority of RCT showed high PHO activity and weak staining for SYN. Activities of ALPase and GGT were negative in most of the RCT. Giant cells were detected in some large RCT. Higher activities of glycolytic and mitochondrial enzymes and G6PDH were found in giant cells compared with other tumor cells. Tubular preneoplastic lesions were similar to neoplastic lesions in morphological and histochemical characteristics. The present study revealed that a markedly elevated capacity for glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway occurred in renal cell tumors in mice. A similar histochemical pattern in the few preneoplastic tubular lesions observed suggests that these metabolic aberrations emerge early in carcinogenesis, but studies on earlier stages of renal carcinogenesis are needed to substantiate this assumption.