Exposure to light at night accelerates aging and spontaneous uterine carcinogenesis in female 129/Sv mice

Abstract

The effect of the constant illumination on the development of spontaneous tumors in female 129/Sv mice was investigated. Forty-six female 129/Sv mice starting from the age of 2 mo were kept under standard light/dark regimen [12 h light (70 lx):12 hr dark; LD, control group], and 46 of 129/Sv mice were kept under constant illumination (24 h a day, 2,500 lx, LL) from the age of 5 mo until to natural death. The exposure to the LL regimen significantly accelerated body weight gain, increased body temperature as well as acceleration of age-related disturbances in estrous function, followed by significant acceleration of the development of the spontaneous uterine tumors in female 129/Sv mice. Total tumor incidence as well as a total number of total or malignant tumors was similar in LL and LD group (p > 0.05). The mice from the LL groups survived less than those from the LD group (χ ( 2) = 8.5; p = 0.00351, log-rank test). According to the estimated parameters of the Cox's regression model, constant light regimen increased the relative risk of death in female mice compared with the control (LD) group (p = 0.0041). The data demonstrate in the first time that the exposure to constant illumination was followed by the acceleration of aging and spontaneous uterine tumorigenesis in female 129/Sv mice.

Keywords: 129/Sv mice; lifespan; light at night; tumorigenesis.

Figure 2. Effect of the exposure to the constant illumination (LL) on survival and tumorigenesis in female 129/Sv mice. Abscissa, age, days. (A) Survival. Ordinate, number of mice, %. (B) Age-dependent tumor rate curves. Ordinate, number of tumor-bearing mice, %.

Figure 1. Macro- and microphotograph of uterine sarcoma in 129/Sv mice exposed to constant light regimen (H and E, ×320).