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TUMOR‐BEARING DEPRESSES DISTANT MAST‐CELL‐MEDIATED MITOGENESIS
Author(s) -
NORRBY KLAS
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica series a :pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0108-0164
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1984.tb04420.x
Subject(s) - mast cell , histamine , cachexia , endocrinology , medicine , sarcoma , biology , cancer research , immunology , pathology , cancer
A methylcholanthrene‐induced sarcoma grafted subcutaneously in rats was used in early transplantation generations. Tumor‐bearing rats showed weight loss compatible with cachexia. Healthy rats of the same age served as controls. In tumor‐bearing rats the basal mesenteric proliferation was unaffected whereas the strictly mast‐cell‐mediated hyperproliferative reaction in the mesentery was significantly reduced after intraperitoneal injection of the mast‐cell‐secretagogue compound 48/80, as judged from specific DNA activity and mitosis counting. However, in mesentery and peritoneal lavage the number of mast cells, their histamine‐releasing capacity, and their content of histamine, 5‐hydroxytryptamine and heparin were unaffected by tumor‐burden. The findings suggest the presence of a tumor‐associated systemic factor of unknown nature which interferes with the biochemical events leading to the mast‐cell‐dependent mitogenesis. Since this mitogenic reaction may normally compensate for injury at the cellular level it is questioned whether the decreased mast‐cell‐dependent proliferation in tumor‐bearing is a component of cachexia.