Acta Medica Medianae (Mar 2013)
STUDY OF OVARIAN CHANGES IN RATS WITH MAMMARY CARCINOMAS
Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate ovarian changes in 7,12 dimethylbenz (α) anthracene (DMBA) induced rat mammary carcinomas. The study was carried out on female virgin albino Wistar rats (n=35, age=35-37days, body mass 120-140g), divided into control (n=10) and experimental group (n=25). Anesthetised animals of experimental group were inoculated with 2 mg mixture (1 mg of DMBA and 1 mg of cholesterol-buffer) into the fifth left mammary gland. The animals were sacrificed 90 days after implantation, and ovaries and mammary glands were investigated. Mammary gland carcinomas (in situ and/or invasive) were pathohistologically verified in 19 experimental animals. Histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical (cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and PCNA ) studies of ovaries were performed.Besides non-neoplastic changes, such as decrease in ovary’s volume, reduction in the rate of follicular development and numerous corpora lutea formation were found in the vicinity of preneoplastic changes: papillomatous epithelial hyperplasia and inclusion cysts, microglandular formations with dysplasia and seromucinous microcystic formation. Intensive diffuse PCNA expression was present in the epithelium of glandlike structures, follicular and inclusion cysts.These morphological changes confirmed that DMBA is a pluripotent carcinogen capable to induce a wide spectrum of preneoplastic lesions in the ovaries. The present dilemma is whether the changes described are the consequence of the direct effects of DMBA or of hormonal activity of the induced breast carcinomas, or both.
