D-glucose combined chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies in Sprague-Dawley rats and Syrian golden hamsters

After an initial period of 16 weeks with increasing concentrations, D-glucose was administered at 30% in the diet to 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats from the 17th to the 112th study week. Additional 10 male and 10 female animals were treated for 14 months and then sacrificed for interim examination. Groups of 60 male and 60 female Syrian golden hamsters received D-glucose in the form of 20% solution in tap water for a period of 80 weeks. In each case, groups consisting of an equal number of untreated animals served as controls. General behavior and mortality were not affected by the treatment. The rats and hamsters treated with glucose showed significantly higher body weights of up to a maximum of 16% in male and 26% in female rats, or 15% in male and female hamsters. In rats, the increase was evident by week 14, and in the hamsters by week 10. Glucose-dosed rats displayed a slightly increased feed intake and a reduced water intake. Both parameters, however, were not influenced in hamsters. Hematological and histopathological examination showed no pertinent changes in hematopoetic tissue. Sharply increased blood glucose and renal glucose excretion values were present in rats beginning with 18 months and were indicative of the development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The insulin concentrations in peripheral blood were not appreciably affected, although there was a trend to higher values in males at all evaluation times and in females only at 3 months. Pathological evaluation did not show any compound related non-neoplastic lesions. The incidences of islet cell adenomas in the pancreas of male rats were significantly increased and the cortical adenomas in the adrenals of females were decreased. In addition, the mammary gland adenomas (in females) and the Leydig cell tumors of the testes were decreased. In hamsters, the incidence of adrenocortical adenomas were increased in the females. No other pertinent neoplastic changes were observed. In conclusion, the increases and decreases in benign neoplasms of hormone-sensitive tissues, appear to be the result of nutritionally/metabolism-induced modulation of the homeostasis in these 4 tissues in both species, and not the result of chronic glucose administration.