title: Carcinogenicity of policosanol in mice: an 18-month study.
abstract: Policosanol (trade name Ateromixol) is a new cholesterol-lowering drug that has been isolated and purified from sugar cane wax. The effects of policosanol (50-500 mg/kg) administered orally for 18 months to male and female Swiss mice were investigated. No differences in daily clinical observations, weight gain, food consumption and mortality (survival analysis) between groups were found. Histopathological study showed that the frequency of neoplastic (benign and malignant) lesions was similar in the control and policosanol-treated groups. The lesions observed were similar to the spontaneous lesions in Swiss mice reported in previous studies. As no drug-related increase in the occurrence of malignant or benign neoplasm was found, nor acceleration in tumour growth in any specific group observed, this study shows no evidence of policosanol-induced carcinogenicity in Swiss mice.
authors.affiliation: Center of Natural Products, National Center for Scientific Research, Havana City, Cuba.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Alemán
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Puig
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Elías
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ferreiro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Briñis
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; C080710:policosanol