Abstract
An animal experiment was performed, by means of which hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was produced in macronodular cirrhosis under the treatment with progesterone. "Irreversible" liver cirrhosis was induced in male Wistar rats by 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene feeding (for 3 weeks on diet containing 0.06%) plus carbon tetrachloride injection (subcutaneously of 0.2ml/100g bw twice weekly for 14 consecutive weeks). Thereafter, the animals were divided into two groups: (I) control group with no treatment (n=39), (II) rats given progesterone 2.5mg/100g bw once weekly subcutaneously (n=39). Pseudonodules of the control rats were microangiographically hypovascular, and its histology showed hyperplastic nodules without definite HCC. On the other hand, pseudonodules were increased in size with time in animals receiving progesterone, and development of liver-cell adenoma was common. Malignant transformation into HCC was observed in 9 rats (23%) of this group. Microangiograms revealed hypervascular features typical of HCC. It is concluded that progesterone plays a large role in promoting malignant transformation in macronodular liver cirrhosis.
