Prevention of rat hepatocarcinogenesis by acyclic retinoid is accompanied by reduction in emergence of both TGF-α-expressing oval-like cells and activated hepatic stellate cells

We investigated the preventive effects of a synthetic acyclic retinoid, NIK-333, on the early and late events of hepatocarcinogenesis in male F344 rats treated with 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3′-MeDAB). NIK-333 was administered once a day on consecutive days at a dose of 10, 40, or 80 mg/kg body weight along with the supplementation with 3′-MeDAB-containing diet for 16 wk. Animals from each group were sacrificed at 4 and 16 wk after the commencement of the experiment to determine the effect of NIK-333 on the early and late stages of carcinogenesis, respectively. NIK-333 suppressed the emergence of both oval-like cells expressing transforming growth factor (TGF)-a, putative progenitors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and activated hepatic stellate cells, major matrix-producing cells of the liver, in the early stage and inhibited the incidence of HCC in the late phase. These results suggest that NIK-333 is a promising drug for the chemoprevention of HCC by uniquely suppressing the early events of hepatocarcinogenesis, that is, development of both oval-like cells and fibrogenesis.