Chronic liver injury promotes hepatocarcinogenesis of the LEC rat

The Long-Evans rat with a cinnamon-like color (LEC) is a mutant rat that spontaneously suffers from chronic liver injury and subsequent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by abnormal copper accumulation in the liver. We attempted to elucidate the role of prolonged liver cell injury on LEC rat hepatocarcinogenesis using a copper-deficient diet (CuDD) to inhibit the occurrence of consequent liver injury. The animals were fed the CuDD from the age of 4 weeks until being killed at the age of 10 months. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was administered at the age of 8 weeks. Groups fed a basal diet (BD) with or without the administration of DEN were also assigned as control groups. The animals fed the BD manifested liver injury, while those fed the CuDD did not show liver dysfunction until death. The number and volume of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive preneoplastic lesions in the liver, which were calculated from the data on two-dimensional planes, were examined to clarify the promotive effect of chronic liver injury on the development of HCC. Regarding the size of the lesions, which indicated the intensity of the promotive effect, the lesions in the livers of rats fed the BD with DEN were much larger than those of rats fed the CuDD with DEN. Feeding the LEC rats with CuDD completely suppressed the manifestation of liver injury, and it was clearly shown that prolonged liver injury had a promotive effect on the LEC rat hepatocarcinogenic process.