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Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1988 Jan;79(1):49–58. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1988.tb00010.x

Hepatocellular Tumorigenicity of Butylated Hydroxytoluene Administered Orally to B6C3F1 Mice

Kouki Inai 1, Toshihiro Kobuke 1, Shigeru Nambu 1, Tsuyoshi Takemoto 1, Eihaku Kou 1, Hajime Nishina 1, Megumu Fujihara 1, Shoji Yonehara 1, Shin‐ichi Suehiro 1, Takafumi Tsuya 1, Kenji Horiuchi 1, Shoji Tokuoka 1
PMCID: PMC5907751  PMID: 3128505

Abstract

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a preservative widely found in food as a food additive, was orally administered at concentrations of 1% and 2% of the diet to B6C3F1 mice for 104 consecutive weeks. Treated animals underwent a 16‐week recovery period prior to pathological examination. In male mice administered BHT, the incidence of mice with either a hepatocellular adenoma or a focus of cellular alteration in the liver was increased in a clear dose‐response relationship. The incidences of male mice with other tumors and the incidences of female mice with any tumor were not significantly increased as a consequence of BHT administration. The results of this study indicate BHT to be tumorigenic to the liver of the B6C3F1 male mouse.

Keywords: BHT, Hepatocellular tumor, B6C3F1 mouse

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