Two different doses of MCA were used to elicit subcutaneous sarcomas in intact vs. immunodepressed adult (C57BL/6xBALB/c)F1 female mice. Immunodepression was achieved by adult thymectomy followed by a short treatment with antilymphocyte serum (4 i.p. injections of 0.25 ml at days −1, +1, +3, +5). The lower dose of MCA (30 μg) gave rise to sarcomas in 11 of 18 intact mice, and in 17 out of 17 immunodepressed animals. No such difference was found with 150 μg of the carcinogen which induced tumors in 16 of 17 immunodepressed mice and in 17 of 17 intact counterparts. These results clearly show the importance of the dosage of MCA in visualizing the funcion of immunologic surveillance in this system of chemical carcinogenesis.
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