Effects of All-trans retinoic acid on the cholangiocarcinogenesis in Hamsters infected with Clonorchis sinensis

All-trans retinoic acid 투여가 간흡충 감염 햄스터의 담관암 발생에 미치는 영향

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of all-trans retinoic acid(RA) on the development of cholangiocarcinoma in hamsters. Eighty six female Syrian golden hamsters were divided into four groups. Group I was for the induction of the cholangiocarcinoma, which was infected orally with C sinensis and given dimethylnitrosamine(DMN, 15ppm) in drinking water for 4 weeks. Group II was for evaluating the effect of all-trans RA treatment on the cholangiocarcinogenesis, which was treated the same as group I and orally given RA(1mg/kg, 5 times per week) for 15 weeks. Group III was given only RA hr 15 weeks. Control group IV was given only soybean oil which was solvent for RA treatment. More than 5 heads of hamsters in each group were sacrificed at 4, 7, 11 and 15 weeks after the begining of the experiment. The livers were examined grossly, histopathologically, and immunohistochemically. The results obtained were as follows : 1. Death of animals started from the 11 weeks after the begining of the experiment. One of the total 22 animals(5%) and 7 of the total 24 animals(29%) died in group I and group II, respectively. 2. Proliferation of oval cell was peaked at 11 weeks in group I and at 7 weeks in group II, and decreased gradually after those periods of the time. 3. Cholangiocarcinomas were found in 1 of 6 animals(17%) at 11 weeks and in 4 of 6 animals(67%) at 15 weeks in group I, respectively. But in group II, the cholangiocarcinomas occured in 1 of 5 animals(20%) at 7 weeks, in 7 of 12 animals(58%) at 11 weeks and in 2 of the rest animals(100%) at 15 weeks, respectively. 4. Expression of $\alpha$-fetoprotein(AFP) of the oval cells in the group II showed the same degree of positive reaction at that of group I at 4 weeks. But AFP postive oval cells decreased gradually and AFP negative oval cells(ductlike oval cells) increased gradually. 5. Expression of cytokeratin of the oval cells in group II was shown slightly at 4 weeks and the degree of expression increased moderately from the 7 weeks. But the expression of the oval cells in group I was shown slightly after the 7 weeks. These results suggested that all-trans RA promoted the occurrence and the rate of cholangiocarcinoma by inducing differentiation of small cells and oval cells in the liver of hamsters infected with C sinensis and treated with DMN.