Studies of a deuterium isotope effect in carcinogenesis by N-nitroso-N-alkylurethanes in rats.

Nitroso-N-methylurethane and nitroso-N-ethylurethane were administered to groups of 20 female F344 rats in corn oil solution by gavage. Each rat received once a week 0.2 ml of solution containing 7 mg/ml or 1.75 mg/ml of the methyl compound or 8 mg/ml or 2 mg/ml of the ethyl compound for 20 weeks. In parallel with these treatments additional groups of rats were given equimolar dose of nitrosomethylurethane and nitrosoethylurethane fully labeled with deuterium in the N-alkyl groups. All animals were allowed to die naturally. The total doses received by the rats were 0.2 mmol at the higher concentration and 0.05 mmol at the lower concentration. Almost all of the treated rats died with papillomas and carcinomas of the forestomach (non-glandular stomach), and the other induced tumors of significance were carcinomas and papillomas of the esophagus in rats given the 7 mg/ml dose of nitrosomethylurethane, both labeled and unlabeled. There was no significant difference in tumor incidence or rate of mortality from tumors that would indicate a difference in carcinogenic effectiveness between the nitrosoalkylurethanes and their deuterium-labeled counterparts. Apart from the esophageal tumors induced only by nitrosomethylurethane at the higher dose, there was no significant difference in carcinogenic effectiveness between the methyl and ethyl nitrosourethanes.