Redox Rep 2001;6(6):366-8
Haptoglobin, inflammation, and tumorigenesis in the MIN mouse.
Barbour KW, Davis T, White A, Baumann H, Berger FG.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, USA.
We have determined that the MIN mouse, which is predisposed to
adenomas
of the small and large intestine, exhibits chronic
inflammation characterized by the induction of haptoglobin (HP), as
well as other acute phase proteins. Inflammation is initiated at about
40-70 days of age, and is maintained throughout the life of the animal.
Delayed onset of inflammation brought on by dietary means is associated
with a reduction in tumor number and longer life-span. Knockout mice
that
lack haptoglobin exhibit an increase in tumor number, indicating that
the
acute phase reactant suppresses tumorigenesis, perhaps through
inhibition
of the inflammatory response. The MIN mouse is, therefore, a useful
model
for studying the roles of HP and inflammation in tumorigenesis in vivo.