Explants from 32 mammary tumours induced in Sprague—Dawley rats by 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) were maintained in organ culture for up to 48 h. Insulin, corticosterone, prolactin, growth hormone and oestradiol were added to the culture medium in various combinations and their effects on the DNA synthesis of the explants was studied.
DNA synthesis was stimulated by insulin in explants from 30 out of the 32 tumours examined and this group of 30 responsive tumours could be further subdivided. Explants from 16 tumours showed a greater rate of DNA synthesis in medium containing insulin plus corticosterone plus prolactin than in medium containing insulin alone and this higher rate was decreased by oestradiol; this group is referred to as 'prolactin-responsive'. Explants from the remaining 14 tumours did not show a greater rate of DNA synthesis in medium that contained insulin plus corticosterone plus prolactin than in medium containing insulin alone and neither rate was decreased by oestradiol; this group is referred to as 'insulin-responsive'. Explants from two tumours were not stimulated by insulin and these tumours are referred to as 'non-responsive'. After oophorectomy or administration of ergocryptine to tumour-bearing rats, the prolactin-responsive tumours regressed whereas the non-responsive tumours continued to grow. Explants taken from prolactin-responsive tumours 2 weeks after either oophorectomy or administration of ergocryptine were still prolactin-responsive but those taken from insulin-responsive tumours 2 weeks after the same treatment were now also prolactin-responsive. The non-responsive tumours remained non-responsive.
The effects of hormones on the DNA synthesis in vitro of explants from growing DMBA-induced tumours were thus different from those on explants of mammary glands from virgin or pregnant Sprague—Dawley rats. It was concluded that it was possible to predict by organ culture techniques the response in vivo of growing mammary tumours to oophorectomy and ergocryptine administration.
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