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Regulation of rat alpha‐fetoprotein production by methionine during ethionine‐hepatocarcinogenesis
Author(s) -
Miyazaki Mashiro,
Watanabe Akiharu
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910290217
Subject(s) - ethionine , methionine , medicine , endocrinology , basal (medicine) , alpha fetoprotein , carcinogenesis , biology , alpha (finance) , chemistry , biochemistry , cancer , surgery , amino acid , construct validity , hepatocellular carcinoma , insulin , patient satisfaction
The levels of serum alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) in rats were determined during hepatocarcinogenesis with ethionine, and the effects of methionine administration on serum AFP elevation in these animals were studied with the aim of investigating regulatory mechanisms of AFP production during carcinogenesis. Elevation of serum AFP was observed 6 weeks following the start of feeding a diet containing 0.25% ethionine and again at the 22nd week of feeding, when a well‐differentiated hepatoma had already developed. These biphasic elevations of serum AFP concentrations in rats fed a 0.25% ethionine‐containing diet decreased abruptly and significantly following a change to the basal diet either supplemented with or without 0.7% methionine. The possibility that regulation of AFP production in these rats may correlate with methionine metabolisms is discussed on the basis of the experimental data obtained.