title: Effect of PYCNOGENOL on the toxicity of heart, bone marrow and immune organs as induced by antitumor drugs.
abstract: PYCNOGENOL is a mixture of water-soluble bioflavonoids extracted from the bark of pine trees growing in the southwest coastal region of France. In the present paper the effects of PYCNOGENOL (Pyc) on the toxicity of bone marrow, heart and immune organs induced by anticancer drugs were investigated, in mice. The following results were obtained: 1. Pyc at the orally-administered dose of 200 and 150 mg/kg body wt. markedly prevented the elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity and the decrease of heart rate in mice treated with doxorubicin (Dox); 2. Pyc at 100 and 150 mg/kg body wt. significantly antagonized the inhibition of DNA synthesis in thymus induced by subcutaneous injection of cyclophosphamide (Cyc); 3. Pyc at 150 and 200 mg/kg body wt. markedly induced increase of erythrocytes and hemoglobin, but had no effect on leukopenia, in Cyc-treated mice; and 4. Pyc has no antagonizing effect on the anticancer activity of Dox and Cyc. All the results suggest that Pyc possesses a protective effect on the cardiotoxicity of Dox and the inhibition of thymus DNA synthesis induced by Cyc in mice.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union of Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000633:toxicity; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013045:Species Specificity; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C024070:pycnogenols; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide