Abstract
HE, M., HUN, S., ZHANG, L. and LIAN, C. In Vitro Alterations of Tracheal Epithelium of Hamsters by Carcinogens in Organ Culture. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1987, 152 (1), 87-100 - In vitro organ culture of the hamster's trachea was improved and applied to a carcinogenesis research. The rotary culture enabled explants of tracheal epithelium to survive more than 8 weeks. The study was composed of 2 kinds of culture; untreated and treated with carcinogens. In the untreated culture, Eagle MEM medium had the same culture effect as RPMI 1640 medium. With prolongation of culture time (particulary longer than 5 weeks), irreversible degenerative changes appeared in epithelial cells. Culture for 4 weeks was usually thought to be appropriate for experimental research. In the treated culure, the effect of benzo-(a) pyrene (B(a)P) and B(a)P+cigarette smoking condensate-neutral fraction (CSC-NF) on tracheal epithelium was investigated with light and electron microscopies (TEM and SEM) and autoradiography. Atypical hyperplasia with or without lesions suggesting carcinoma in situ was induced by B(a)P+CSC-NF more evidently and frequently than by B(a)P alone. The present findings corroborated the cocarcinogenetic effect of CSC-NF.
