Effects of melatonin on N-nitroso-N-methylurea-induced carcinogenesis in rats and mutagenesis in vitro (Ames test and COMET assay)

The effect of melatonin, an indole hormone of the pineal gland, on the initiation of N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU)-induced carcinogenesis in rats and mutagenesis in vitro has been investigated. Two-month-old female LIO rats (groups 1 and 2) were exposed to a single injection of NMU (50 mg/kg of body weight, i.v.). Rats from group 2 were given melatonin orally (20 mg/l) from 18:00 to 09:00 h over 3 days (2 days before and 1 day after NMU injection). Animals from group 1 (control) were administered the solvent (ethanol/water, 1:1000). Rats were followed up to natural death or were sacrificed when moribund. Tumors developed both in rats treated with NMU alone (50.0%) and in rats exposed to NMU plus melatonin (34.8%). The percentage of malignant tumor-bearing rats in group 2 (21.7%) was lower (P<0.02) than that in the other group (41.7%). Melatonin also decreased the multiplicity of malignant tumors 1.3-fold and reduced the incidence of malignancies in some organs. Two in vitro tests were used for mutagenesis studies: the Ames test (strains TA 100 and TA 102 of Salmonella typhimurium) and the Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis assay (SCGE assay or COMET assay) performed on CHOK1 cells. Melatonin itself revealed no genotoxic effect in either of the tests. No protective action of melatonin (at doses of up to 2 μmol/plate) towards NMU was found in the Ames test. In contrast, in the SCGE assay a slight, but statistically significant (P<0.001), dose-related anticlastogenic effect of melatonin (10−10–10−7 M) was observed. Thus, our data indicate that melatonin may act as an anti-initiating hormone in NMU-induced carcinogenesis and possess anticlastogenic activity towards NMU in CHOK1 cells.