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Chemopreventive Efficacy of Naproxen and Nitric Oxide–naproxen in Rodent Models of Colon, Urinary Bladder, and Mammary Cancers

Authors' Affiliations: ¹ Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland; ² University of Oklahoma Cancer Institute, OUHSC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and ³ University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Requests for reprints: Vernon E. Steele, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza North, Room 2118, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20852. Phone: 301-594-0420; Fax: 301-402-0553; E-mail: Steelev{at}mail.nih.gov.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) have been highly effective in preventing colon, urinary bladder, and skin cancer preclinically, and also in clinical trials of colon adenoma formation. However, certain NSAIDs cause gastrointestinal ulceration and may increase cardiovascular events. Naproxen seems to cause the lowest cardiovascular events of the common NSAIDs other than aspirin. Nitric oxide (NO)-naproxen was tested based on the finding that adding a NO group to NSAIDs may help alleviate GI toxicity. In the azoxymethane-induced rat colon aberrant crypt foci (ACF) model, naproxen administered at 200 and 400 ppm in the diet reduced mean ACFs in the colon by about 45% to 60%, respectively. NO-naproxen was likewise administered in the diet at roughly equimolar doses (300 and 600 ppm) and reduced total ACF by 20% to 40%, respectively. In the hydroxybutyl (butyl) nitrosamine rat urinary bladder cancer model, NO-naproxen was given at 183 or 550 ppm in the diet, and naproxen at 128 ppm. The NO-naproxen groups had 77% and 73% decreases, respectively, in the development of large urinary bladder tumors, whereas the 128 ppm naproxen group also showed a strong decrease (69%). If treatments were started 3 months after hydroxybutyl (butyl) nitrosamine, NO-naproxen (550 ppm) and naproxen (400 ppm) were also highly effective (86-94% decreases). In the methylnitrosourea-induced mammary cancer model in rats, NO-naproxen and naproxen showed nonsignificant inhibitions (12% and 24%) at 550 and 400 ppm, respectively. These data show that both naproxen and NO-naproxen are effective agents against urinary bladder and colon, but not mammary, carcinogenesis.

Key Words: animal models • chemoprevention • NSAIDs