Decreased Resistance of C3H/HeHa Mice to C3HBA Tumor Transplants: Increased Resistance Due to Supplemental Vitamin A

Abstract

Groups of inbred C3H/HeHa and C3H/HeJ mice were inoculated with either a low or a high number of C3HBA tumor cells. C3H/HeHa mice were less resistant to tumor development and growth than C3H/HeJ mice as judged by tumor incidence, latent period; tumor size (growth rate), and survival time. Resistance to disease and death following inoculation with tumor cells was related to thymus status in the following way: Thymic involution was associated with decreased resistance ofthe mice to tumor development. When C3H/HeHa mice were fed supplemental vitamin A, a treatment that increases their thymus size and numbers of thymic small lymphocytes, their resistance to the C3HBA tumor was markedly increased