Effect of Food Restriction, Dehydroepiandrosterone, or Obesity on the Binding of 3h-7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene to Mouse Skin Dna

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether a reduction in body weight in laboratory mice by regimens that appear to delay the rate of aging (i.E., food restriction and chronic dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) treatment), or a production of obesity by the presence of the ob (obese) gene or by gold thioglucoseinduced hyperphagia alter the rate of binding of 3h-7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (³h-DMBA) to mouse skin deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). We have found that treating a/j mice with food containing .6% DHEA for 10 weeks or reducing the food intake of non-DHEA treated mice to 60% of ad libitum fed animals significantly reduces the amount of ³h-DMBA bound to mouse skin dna 12 hours after a topical application of the carcinogen. Conversely, a/j mice made obese by a gold thioglucose-induced hyperphagia and c57bl/6j mice with the ob mutation bind significantly increased amounts of ³h-DMBA to skin DNA when compared to their nonobese counterparts.