CHEMOPREVENTIVE AGENTS ON A MOUSE SKIN CARCINOGENESIS MODEL: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Resumo

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a non-melanoma skin cancer, with chronic sun exposure as the main risk factor. Excisional surgery is the most indicated treatment; however, patients can suffer functional, aesthetic, and psychological damage depending on the lesion site. Topical administration of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induce to the appearance of benign skin tumors in mice, some of which develop into SCC. This protocol has been used to analyze the effects of many chemopreventive agents that may block or inhibit the mechanisms of action of chemical carcinogenesis. We compared the effects of chemopreventive agents in an induced skin carcinogenesis animal model. In the Scopus, PubMed, and EMBASE databases, we searched for manuscripts published between June 16, 2011, and June 16, 2021. We excluded studies conducted in vitro or on transgenic mice; in addition, studies without drug dosage, route of administration, or tumor incidence were excluded. We selected 26 studies and analyzed their main characteristics and the outcomes of tumorigenesis analysis. Most chemopreventive agents have shown excellent potential to inhibit the development of skin tumors. This review also discusses the standardization of studies in animal models to ensure better responses and future randomized clinical trials for cancer treatment and prevention.