The induction of gut hyperplasia by phytohaemagglutinin in the diet and limitation of tumour growth.
The growth of a transplantable murine non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumour, developing either intraperitoneally as an ascites tumour or subcutaneously as a solid tumour, has been shown to be markedly diminished by including phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), a lectin present in raw kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in the diet. In NMRI mice fed PHA within the range 0.45-7.0 mg/g diet, tumours which developed during a 10 day period after subcutaneous injection of cells were about 35% of the dry weight of those in lactalbumin-fed (control) animals. The reduced rate of growth occurred in a dose-dependent manner within the range 0.45-3.5 mg/g diet. Based on these observations it has been suggested that a competition between the gut epithelium undergoing hyperplasia and the developing tumour may occur for nutrients from a common body pool, and this may be an important factor with regard to the observed initial low level of tumour growth following the feeding of a PHA-containing diet. Observations which showed that the level of hyperplasia of the small bowel in response to feeding the PHA diets was higher in non-injected mice compared to those which had been injected with tumour cells substantiated the concept of competition between gut and tumour for nutrients etc. required for growth. Experiments with a second murine tumour cell line (a plasmacytoma) in Balb/c mice gave similar results indicating that the effect of PHA was not restricted to a single tumour system.
Pryme
I F
IF
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Norway.
Pusztai
A
A
Bardocz
S
S
Ewen
S W
SW
D000818:Animals; D002287:Carcinoma, Krebs 2 / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology*; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism
D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011073:Polyamines; D007768:Lactalbumin