Experimental-induced sarcomas after intra-articular injection of 9-10-dimethyl-1-2-benzanthracene

Metal carcinogenesis in total joint arthroplasty. Animal models

As early as 1956, laboratory investigations into the carcinogenicity of modern dental and orthopaedic alloys were undertaken. Such studies were prompted by the observation that workers, particularly in nickel and chromate refining, had increased risks of nasal and lung tumors. For the past 25 years, sporadic case reports have documented the development of malignant neoplasms proximate to an orthopaedic implant. Although the results of epidemiologic studies have not shown an excessive number of tumors in patients receiving stainless steel or superalloy implants, the possibility of carcinogenesis, given the corrosive environment in which metal implants exist, has prompted ongoing laboratory studies. Leaching of metal ions from implants, the synovial processing of metallic wear debris, and the effects of exposure to intraarticular metal particles have been the subjects of numerous laboratory studies. The results of these studies are summarized and recommended parameters for future laboratory investigations are given.

Intraarticular carcinogenesis bioassays of CoCrMo and TiAlV alloys in rats

Wear-debris powders of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) and titanium-aluminum-vanadium (TiAlV) alloys, which are widely used for orthopedic implants (eg, hip and knee prostheses), were tested for carcinogenic activity following intraarticular administration (20 mg/rat) to groups of 44 male Fischer-344 rats (Charles River Breeding Laboratories, North Wilmington, MA). Control groups received similar intraarticular injections of either a noncarcinogen (manganese powder, negative control rats) or a potent carcinogen (nickel subsulfide powder, positive control rats). The experimental groups of 8-12 rats were observed for 24 months after injection. No local tumors developed at the injection site in the negative control rats or in rats that received the CoCrMo or TiAlV powders; poorly differentiated or pleomorphic sarcomas developed at the injection site in 10 of the 12 positive control rats that were treated with nickel subsulfide. Incidences of primary tumors distant from the injection site did not differ significantly among the experimental groups. This study shows that, under experimental conditions, any carcinogenic activity of CoCrMo or TiAlV wear-debris powders is weak in comparison to nickel subsulfide. Based on this study and observations in other laboratories, intraarticular administration of test materials to rats provides a practical, reliable, and biologically relevant method for carcinogenesis testing of biomaterials used for orthopedic implants.

The role of bone fracture at the site of carcinogen exposure on nickel carcinogenesis in the soft tissue

The influence upon nickel subsulfide (alpha-Ni3S2; Ni-SS)-induced carcinogenesis in the soft tissue of bone fracture at the site of Ni-SS exposure was studied using female Fischer rats. During the one year of the experiment, the group subjected to bone fracture exhibited the shortest tumor induction time and survival time, and a significantly higher metastatic rate. The present study may suggest a model for the metastasis of human soft tissue tumors.

Induction of soft tissue tumours in F344 rats by subcutaneous, intramuscular, intra-articular, and retroperitoneal injection of nickel sulphide (Ni3S2)

The carcinogenicity of nickel sulphide (Ni3S2) injected into subcutaneous (s.c.), intramuscular (i.m.), or retroperitoneal intrafat (i.f.) tissue, or the intra-articular space (i.a.) of male F344 rats was studied. Rats were given a single injection of 0.5 mg of Ni3S2 and were observed for 48 weeks. Malignant soft tissue tumours were induced in 18/19 rats (95 per cent) by s.c. injection, 19/20 rats (95 per cent) by i.m. injection, in 16/19 rats (84 per cent) by i.a. injection, and in 9/20 rats (45 per cent) by i.f. injection of Ni3S2. The i.f. injection of Ni3S2 resulted in a lower tumour incidence and the appearance of tumours 10 weeks later than its injection by other routes. The tumours were examined histologically, ultrastructurally, and immunohistochemically with antibodies against desmin, vimentin, and cytokeratin. The 62 tumours induced by injection of Ni3S2 by different routes were identified as rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS, 35), malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFH, 18), fibrosarcomas (FS, 5), and unclassified sarcomas (4). All 19 tumours induced by i.m. injection of Ni3S2 were rhabdomyosarcomas; those induced by s.c. or i.f. injection were mainly MFHs. However, a number of RMSs were also found in groups that received i.a., s.c., and i.f. injections; five FSs also developed in these groups. Four sarcomas induced by s.c. and i.a. injections were not classified. No synovial sarcoma developed.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma induced by intra-articular injection of 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene in the rat. Pathological and enzyme histochemical studies

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) was produced by injection of 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) into the rat knee joint. The tumor was observed in or around the knee in nearly all the animals 13 to 36 weeks after the initial DMBA administration. Histologically, these lesions were of the storiform-pleomorphic type (39/58, 67.2%), myxoid type (9/58, 15.5%), or giant cell type (8/58, 13.8%). Six cell types reported in human MFH were confirmed and phagocytosis of 0.81-micron latex particles by histiocyte-like cells was noted by electron microscopic examination. Acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, and alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase were positive in enzyme histochemical examinations. Acid phosphatase activity was electron microscopically noted primarily in the lysosomes and the Golgi apparatus of the histiocyte-like cells. Cells from the storiform-pleomorphic (M1) and myxoid (M2) type tumors were serially transplanted subcutaneously in the back of the rats, and are now at the thirtieth and fortieth passage, respectively. They also were studied by enzyme histochemical and electron microscopic techniques. Our observations suggested an undifferentiated mesenchymal cell origin of MFH. Transplantable MFH can be produced in rats by intra-articular injection of DMBA, and lesions thus produced are a useful experimental model for the investigation of the histogenesis and the effect of chemotherapy of MFH.