Abstract
Summary
The addition of a small amount of riboflavin to an otherwise adequate diet, but a diet containing the hepatic carcinogen 3'-methyl- 4 - dimethylaminoazobenzene, strongly inhibits the carcinogenicity of the dye when fed to rats for 18 weeks. Most of the rats (80%) did not develop hepatomas. When the riboflavin antagonist 7,8-diethyl-flavin was also added to the above basic diet, all of the animals developed tumors (80%) or precancerous lesions (20%). When 7-chloro-8-methyl-flavin was added to the above basic diet, which of its two properties, the vitamin-like or the riboflavin antagonist properties, predominated depended on the quantity administered, but the flavin did not protect the livers from gross abnormalities. When the flavin 7,8-diethyl-aminol-flavin was added to the above basic diet, none of the animals developed hepatomas, suggesting that this flavin possesses strong vitamin-like properties or that it is capable of protecting the liver against the effects of the carcinogen.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.