Antitumor activity of cell wall beta-1,3/1,6-glucans from Phytophthora species.
From the cell walls of various Phytophthora species (Oomycetes) different water-soluble beta-1,3/1,6-glucans were isolated and characterized. The glucans with relative molecular masses between 13 and 50 kd exhibited varying degrees of branching in the beta-1,3-linked glucan backbone ranging from 14 to 50%. The dose-dependent antitumor activity of the glucans against allogeneic sarcoma-180 was investigated. It could be demonstrated that beta-1,3/1,6-glucans with relative molecular masses below 50 kd can exhibit a prominent antitumor activity (inhibition rate up to 99%), being comparable to that of the high relative molecular mass (450 kd) beta-1,3/1,6-glucans. Biological activity of the glucans could be shown to be correlated with a low degree of branching. The most potent glucan with a degree of branching of 14% also was active against the syngeneic DBA/2-MC.SC-1 fibrosarcoma (inhibition rate up to 90%) and in combination with a suboptimum dose of diethylstilbestrol against Nobel-Nb prostate carcinoma (inhibition rate up to 90%).
Kraus
J
J
Department of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Blaschek
W
W
Schütz
M
M
Franz
G
G
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D005936:Glucans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000737:chemistry*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D012510:Sarcoma 180 / Q000188:drug therapy; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005936:Glucans