Effect of the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 on development of spontaneous tumors in BALB/c mice

The mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (10-(6′-plastoquinonyldecyl)triphenylphosphonium) is a new pharmaceutical substance with a wide spectrum of effects including increase in lifespan of laboratory animals (for example, of BALB/c mice males) and inhibition of development of some experimental tumors and also of tumor cell growth. In this work, the effects of SkQ1 on development of spontaneous tumors in female and male BALB/c mice housed in an SPF-class vivarium were studied. We found that the addition of SkQ1 to drinking water at the dose of 1 and 30 nmol/kg body weight per day throughout the lifespan modified the spectrum of spontaneous tumors in the female mice, decreasing the incidence of follicular lymphomas. SkQ1 at the dose of 1 nmol/kg per day also suppressed the dissemination of these neoplasms, but it did not significantly influence the overall incidence of benign and malignant tumors (including primary multiple tumors) or the lifespan of the tumor-bearing mice (both males and females). Hence, the previously described ability of SkQ1 to increase the lifespan of laboratory BALB/c mice is not related to its anticarcinogenic activity.