Study of Oral-Tobacco Link to be Aided by New Research Model

Share This Dental Story |

It has been determined that a powerful carcinogen, which is an environmental hydrocarbon, is the most powerful carcinogen that has ever tested in mice.

A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide or radiation, that is an agent directly involved in the exacerbation of cancer or in the increase of its propagation.

The carcinogen can be found in tobacco smoke and can now be used in experimental animals for oral cancer research. This provides a new model for studying the oral-tobacco cancer link, according to researchers from Penn State and New York Universities.

The findings may ultimately facilitate the research that is aimed at identifying new approaches to oral cancer prevention, according to a professor of craniofacial biology and basic science at the NYU College of Dentistry, and a professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at Penn State University College of Medicine.

Although there is very little information available on the chemical characteristics of this compound, the study determined the impact of injecting high, medium, and low high doses of the powerful carcinogen in the mouths of over 100 mice.

Next, the researchers examined 80 of the mice for carcinogenesis and 24 of the mice for mutagenesis. After approximately 38 weeks, all of the mice that had the high doses of the carcinogen group developed large numbers of oral tissue mutations, and within a year, approximately 31% of the group that had the high dose carcinogenesis also had large mouth tumors.

Following the dermal injection of the carcinogen in mice it was determined that it is carcinogenic in rats. It acts as an initiator in mouse skin promotion assays. It also acted as an initiator in cancer in the mice skin. These data are consistent with the carcinogen being a genotoxic carcinogen in experimental animals.

It has been agreed that it is a highly powerful carcinogen in experimental animals. It was also determined that there is a need for further studies to be conducted with regard to the potential importance of exposure it and other highly powerful hydrocarbons have on air pollution.

The findings of the study were recently presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Washington, DC by both colleges and were well received. Additional studies on the carcinogen are planned.