title: Norcantharidin inhibits growth of human HepG2 cell-transplanted tumor in nude mice and prolongs host survival.
abstract: In this study, norcantharidin was compared with adriamycin and mitomycin C for its inhibitory action in the growth of cultured human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. The IC50 of adriamycin and mitomycin C on HepG2 cells was 7.3 microM and 27 microM, respectively, whereas the IC50 of norcantharidin for inhibiting the growth of HepG2 cells was as high as 1900 microM. After HepG2 tumor-bearing nude mice were treated with 12 daily intraperitoneal injections of norcantharidin (2 mg/kg), the increase in tumor size was significantly slower than that of untreated controls. The mean survival time of untreated tumor-bearing nude mice was 129 days, whereas in the tumor-bearing nude mice treated with norcantharidin, the mean survival time was significantly prolonged to 194 days (P < 0.0001). It is concluded that norcantharidin may have a potential role in the treatment of human hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Mack
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D016685:Mitomycin; D004317:Doxorubicin; C069741:norcantharidin