Evaluation of carcinogenic/co-carcinogenic activity of chikusaku-eki, a bamboo charcoal by-product used as a folk remedy, in BALB/c 3T3 cells.
Chikusaku-eki is an acidic dark brown liquid obtained as a by-product from bamboo charcoal burners. The solution diluted with water is gaining widespread popularity in Japan as a folk medicine for skin diseases such as scabies, eczema, and atopic dermatitis. In this study, the carcinogenic and tumor-promoting potential of chikusaku-eki was determined using the BALB/c 3T3 A31-1-1 cell transformation system. Carcinogenic activity was tested by treating A31-1-1 cells for 24 h with 0.06% solution, a dose resulting in 35% clonogenic cell survival. In both 2-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-treated and non-treated groups, chikusaku-eki did not initiate carsinogenesis. Following initiation with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MCA), A31-1-1 cells were chronically treated with a non-toxic concentration range of chikusaku-eki (< or = 0.01%), but chikusaku-eki did not act as a tumor promoter. Thus, chikusaku-eki was not carcinogenic/co-carcinogenic in the in vitro cell transformation assay examined in this study after being diluted more than 10(4)-fold with water.
Department of Molecular Radiobiology, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Japan.
Yuki
Y
Kimura
Shiho
S
Suto
Masaaki
M
Tatsuka
D016475:3T3 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002606:Charcoal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D031787:Sasa
D002273:Carcinogens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002606:Charcoal