The Carcinogenicity of Quinoline and Benzoquinolines in Newborn CD-1 Mice

Abstract

The environmental occurrence and mutagenic activity of quinoline and benzoquinolines are well-documented. In this study, the relative carcinogenic activities of quinoline, benzo[f]quinoline, benzo[h]quinoline, and phenanthridine were evaluated in newborn mice. Mice were injected intraperitoneally on the first, eighth, and fifteenth day of life with 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0μmol of each of these aza-arenes. Quinoline induced a 71% incidence (P<0.005) of hepatic tumors among the male mice sacrificed at 52 weeks of age. None of the female mice treated with these aza-arenes developed hepatomas. Among the female mice treated with quinoline there was a significant development of leukemia or lymphoma (P<0.05) which was not evident among the female mice in any of the other experimental groups. Benzo[h]quinoline and phenanthridine were not carcinogenic under these assay conditions. Benzo[f]quinoline did induce an increase in the incidence of hepatomas among male mice (19% as compared to 5.9% among controls). This increase, however, was not statistically significant. These data indicate that quinoline has greater carcinogenic potential than any of these isomeric benzoquinolines in newborn mice.