The modifying effects of dietary feeding of bovine
lactoferrin (bLF) on tongue
carcinogenesis initiated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) were investigated in male F344 rats. The activities of phase II detoxifying
enzymes,
glutathione S-transferase (GST) and
quinone reductase (QR),
polyamine content and
ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in the tongue were also examined for mechanistic analysis of possible modifying effects of bLF on
carcinogenesis. At 7 weeks of age, all animals except those treated with bLF alone and untreated rats were given 20 ppm 4-NQO in
drinking water for 8 weeks to induce
tongue neoplasms. Starting 7 days before 4-NQO exposure, experimental groups were fed experimental diets containing bLF (0.2% and 2%) for 10 weeks ("initiation feeding"). Starting 1 week after the cessation of exposure to 4-NQO, the other experimental groups given 4-NQO and a basal diet were fed the experimental diets for 22 weeks ("postinitiation feeding"). At week 32, the incidence and multiplicity of
tongue neoplasms in the "initiation feeding" groups of 0.2% and 2% bLF and the "post-initiation feeding" group of 0.2% bLF were lower than those of the 4-NQO alone group, but without statistical significance. However, "post-initiation feeding" of 2% bLF caused a significant reduction in the incidence (20% vs. 55%, P=0.02418) and multiplicity (0.25+/-0.54 vs. 0.70+/-0.71, P<0.05) of tongue
squamous cell carcinoma (by 64%, P=0.02418). bLF treatment elevated liver and tongue GST activities and liver QR activity. The "post-initiation feeding" with 2% bLF significantly decreased QR activity, proliferating cell nulcear
antigen-positive index and ODC activity in the tongue. In addition, feeding with bLF decreased tongue
polyamine content. These results suggest that bLF, when given at the 2% dose level during the post-initiation phase, exerts chemopreventive action against tongue
tumorigenesis through modification of cell proliferation activity and/or the activities of detoxifying
enzymes.