title: Inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis by water extract of Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng).
abstract: The antitumor activity of the crude water extract from Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis) was investigated in vivo and in vitro. A water extract prepared from 0.75 and 0.25 mg dry weight of Gac fruit per gram body weight was given daily to Balb/c mice (n=15/group). The water extract inhibited the growth of the colon 26-20 adenocarcinoma cell line, transplanted in Balb/c mice, reducing wet tumor weight by 23.6%. Histological and immunohistochemical results indicated that Gac water extract reduced the density of blood vessels around the carcinoma. The water extract also produced a marked suppression of cell proliferation in colon 26-20 and HepG2 cells. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated a significant accumulation of cells in the S phase by water extract. Immunoblotting showed that cyclin A, Cdk2, p27waf1/Kip1 were down-regulated, whereas the protein level of p21waf1/Cip1 was not decreased. Treatment of colon 26-20 cells with Gac extract induced necrosis rather than apoptosis. The antitumor component was confirmed as a protein with molecular weight of 35 kDa, retained in the water-soluble high molecular weight fraction. Thus, the bioactive antitumor compound in Gac extract is a protein, which is distinct from lycopene, another compound in Gac fruit with potential antitumor activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Medicine 1, Jichi Medical School, Omiya Medical Center, 1-847 Amanuma-cho, Saitama 330-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Pham Gia
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Tien
authors.forename: Fujio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kayama
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamemoto
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasono
authors.forename: Nguyen Thi Kim
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: San-E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Chuyen Nguyen
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Van
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawakami
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D019925:Cyclin A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D029775:Momordica / Q000737:chemistry*; D009336:Necrosis; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C493957:Cdkn1a protein, mouse; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D019925:Cyclin A; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014867:Water