title: Biochanin A inhibits breast cancer tumor growth in a murine xenograft model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to determine the effect of the flavonoid biochanin A (BCA), administered alone or in combination with the flavonoids quercetin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on the growth of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in a murine xenograft animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  MCF-7 tumors were implanted into mice and groups of mice were treated with vehicle, BCA at 2 doses (5 or 15 mg/kg), quercetin and EGCG (5 mg/kg each), or BCA combined with quercetin and EGCG (5 mg/kg each). The flavonoids were injected once daily intraperitoneally, with treatment starting 4 weeks prior to cell inoculation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with 15 mg/kg of BCA or the mixture of the 3 flavonoids resulted in a reduction in tumor incidence. Tumor size in xenograft mice treated with 15 mg/kg BCA was significantly smaller than in the control group. Although quercetin/EGCG administration did not affect tumor size, treatment with the mixture of the 3 flavonoids at doses of 5 mg/kg produced similar effects as seen with 15 mg/kg BCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that BCA inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft animal model; BCA may represent a breast cancer preventive agent, either administered alone or in combination with other flavonoids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 517 Hochstetter Hall, Amherst, New York 14260-1200, USA.
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Beom Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Marilyn E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002392:Catechin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019833:Genistein / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D002392:Catechin; D011794:Quercetin; C045651:epigallocatechin gallate; D019833:Genistein; C004541:biochanin A