TEST OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND ETHANOL SOLUTIONS FOR CARCINOGENICITY AND TUMOR-PROMOTING ACTIVITY

Abstract

In order to experimentally clarify the established epidemiological association between drinking and esophagus cancer, whiskies, Japanese Sake, sherry, ethanolic solutions of the evaporation residues of these beverages, and aqueous solutions of ethanol of various concentrations were tested for carcinogenicity in mice or rats by skin painting, forced drinking, and subcutaneous injection. Except those of probably spontaneous origin, no malignant tumors ascribable to such chronic treatments were formed. A tumor-promoting activity similar to the one of croton oil, however, was noted for Sake and its distillation residues when tested in mice following the common procedures using 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene as an initiator. Whisky seemed to possess a tumor-promoting activity but the evidences obtained were not certain.