title: Efficacy of intra-arterial norcantharidin in suppressing tumour 14C-labelled glucose oxidative metabolism in rat Morris hepatoma.
abstract: Norcantharidin is the demethylated form of Cantharidin, which is the active ingredient of the blister beetle, Mylabris, a long used Chinese traditional medicine. Though not well publicized outside China, Norcantharidin is known to possess significant anti-hepatoma activity, and is relatively free from side effects. In the present study, glucose oxidation in tumour and liver tissue slices harvested from hepatoma-bearing animals was quantified by measuring the radioactivity of 14C-labelled CO2 released from 14C-glucose in oxygen-enriched incubation medium. Results were expressed as a tumour/liver ratio. For comparison, treatments with Norcantharidin, Adriamycin and with hepatic artery ligation were studied. The mean tumour/liver ratio was 4.2 +/- 2.2 in untreated controls, but dropped significantly to 2.3 +/- 0.5 (p < 0.05) with intra-arterial Norcantharidin (0.5 mg/kg) and to 2.3 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.05) with intra-arterial Adriamycin (2.4 mg/kg), and to 2.2 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.05) with hepatic artery ligation. However, with intravenous Adriamycin at 2.4 mg/kg, the mean tumour/liver ratio was reduced to only 3.5 +/- 2.0 and was not significantly different from untreated controls. It is concluded that intra-arterial Norcantharidin is as effective as intraarterial Adriamycin and hepatic artery ligation in suppressing tumour glucose oxidative metabolism. These result simply that Norcantharidin may have a role to play in the chemotherapy of primary liver cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000601:surgery; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D008026:Ligation; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D004317:Doxorubicin; C069741:norcantharidin; D005947:Glucose