Effects of Mononuclear Cell Leukemia on Altered Hepatocellular Foci in Fischer 344 Rats

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Abstract
Quantitative stereologic analyses were conducted on hematoxylin and eosin-stained liver sections to investigate the potential effects of the presence of mononuclear cell leukemia in Fischer 344 rats on the occurrence of altered hepatocellular foci (AHF). The study consisted of 132 male and 144 female rats taken from control groups at the termination of seven, 2-year National Toxicology Program (NTP) carcinogenicity studies. A minimum of 10 male and 10 female rats were killed at 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months into the seven NTP studies to assess progressive development of AHF. At the end of the studies, 43 males and 35 females had histologic evidence of mononuclear cell leukemia in the liver. There were no differences in the morphologic features of AHF between leukemic and non-leukemic rats; however, there was a decreased incidence of clear AHF in both sexes and in basophilic, vacuolated, and mixed-cell AHF in males. Stereologic analysis revealed that there was also a 40 to 73% reduction in the density of basophilic, clear, vacuolated, and mixed-cell AHF in male rats with leukemia and a 31 and 70% reduction in basophilic and clear AHF, respectively, in females with leukemia. The number of eosinophilic AHF was statistically unchanged in both sexes. The eosinophilic AHF, however, were 2.3 times larger and occupied a 4.3-fold greater volume fraction of the liver in leukemic male rats. Changes in the incidence and density of AHF were directly associated with the severity of the leukemia. It is postulated that the high incidence of spontaneous mononuclear cell leukemia in carcinogenicity studies using Fischer 344 rats may cause the regression of most types of AHF, may coincidentally provide a selective growth advantage for eosinophilic AHF in male rats, and may make the determination of a weak hepatocar-cinogenic effect more difficult.