Objective: In this study, anticancer effects of mirtazapine on rats were investigated in an adenocarcinomamodel induced by N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and compared with those of cisplatin. Materialsand Methods: For this purpose, 10 mg/kg doses of mirtazapine were administered orally to one group of rats, while1 mg/kg doses of cisplatin were administered intraperitoneally to another group. At 1 hour after administration,200 mg/kg doses of MNNG were given orally to both groups. MNNG administration was repeated once every10 days through 3 months, after which period, gastric tissue was taken and pathologically evaluated. Results:Mirtazapine prevented adenocarcinoma induction by MNNG in rats to a greater extent than cisplatin. Some of therats receiving cisplatin demonstrated severe dysplasia in gastric samples and others exhibited mild dysplasia. Ratsgiven mirtazapine were not observed to suffer severe dysplasia, only mild dysplasia being observed. Conclusion:For adenocarcinoma induced by MNNG on rats, mirtazapine was determined more effective than cisplatin. Inorder to make statement about mechanism of anticancer activity of mirtazapine, wider studies are required.
)