Antitumour potential of a polysaccharide-rich substance from the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) on sarcoma 180 ascites tumour in mice.
An immunomodulatory polysaccharide-rich substance (Noni-ppt) from the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia has been found to possess both prophylactic and therapeutic potentials against the immunomodulator sensitive Sarcoma 180 tumour system. The antitumour activity of Noni-ppt produced a cure rate of 25%-45% in allogeneic mice and its activity was completely abolished by the concomitant administration of specific inhibitors of macrophages (2-chloroadenosine), T cells (cyclosporine) or natural killer (NK) cells (anti-asialo GM1 antibody). Noni-ppt showed synergistic or additive beneficial effects when combined with a broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin, adriamycin, mitomycin-C, bleomycin, etoposide, 5- fl uorouracil, vincristine or camptothecin. It was not beneficial when combined with paclitaxel, cytosine arabinoside, or immunosuppressive anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide, methotrexate or 6-thioguanine. Noni-ppt also demonstrated beneficial effects when combined with the Th1 cytokine, interferon gamma, but its activity was abolished when combined with Th2 cytokines, interleukin-4 or interleukin-10, thereby suggesting that Noni-ppt induces a Th1 dominant immune status in vivo. The combination of Noni-ppt with imexon, a synthetic immunomodulator, also demonstrated beneficial effects, but not when combined with the MVE-2 copolymer, a high molecular weight immunomodulator. It was also not effective when combined with interleukin-2 or interleukin-12.
Furusawa
Eiichi
E
Department of Pharmacology, John Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Hirazumi
Anne
A
Story
Stephen
S
Jensen
Jarakae
J
D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D032066:Morinda; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012510:Sarcoma 180 / Q000517:prevention & control; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides