Effects of chitosan on xenograft models of melanoma in C57BL/6 mice and hepatoma formation in SCID mice.
According to the World Health Organization, Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a comprehensive term referring to traditional medical treatments and various forms of indigenous medicines, also known as indigenous or folk medicine. Cancer patients often use CAM in the form of nutritional supplements, psychological techniques and natural medical approaches in the place of or in parallel to conventional medicine. The present study aimed to determine if Chitosan can inhibit lung metastasis and hepatoma formation, by studying xenograft of B16F10 melanoma cells in C57BL/6 mice and of Smmu 7721 cells in SCID mice, respectively. For the lung metastasis model, after a five-week treatment, the survival rates of B6 mice were 15% for the control group and 35%, 20%, 45% and 40% for the 320,000 kDa, 173,000 kDa, 86,000 kDa and 8,000 kDa molecular-weight treatment groups, respectively. Chitosan treatment dramatically increased lifespan and inhibited tumor metastasis especially in treatment groups of the low-molecular weight compound. For the hepatoma growth model, the size of the liver tumor mass was approximately >14 mm in the control group. In comparison to the control group, the tumor mass grew slowly with Chitosan treatment, especially at the low-molecular weight treatment group. Chitosan slowed-down the rate of tumor growth but did not inhibit tumor formation. Data presented herein demonstrate that Chitosan has anticancer effects and thus further study of the substance is warranted to examine for mechanisms of action and optimal dosage.
Department of Biological Science and Technology, China Medical University. No 91, Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. jgchung@mail.cmu.edu.tw and Dr. Fang-Ming Hung, Department of Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Far Eastern Memorial hospital, No. 21, Sec.2, Nan-Ya south Rd. Banciao 220, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. e-mail: philip@mail.femh.org.tw.
Ming-Yang
MY
Yeh
Ming-Fang
MF
Wu
Hung-Sheng
HS
Shang
Jin-Biou
JB
Chang
Yung-Luen
YL
Shih
Yung-Liang
YL
Chen
Hsiao-Fang
HF
Hung
Hsu-Feng
HF
Lu
Chun
C
Yeh
W Gibson
WG
Wood
Fang-Ming
FM
Hung
Jing-Gung
JG
Chung
D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D064593:Heterografts; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016513:Mice, SCID; D015996:Survival Rate; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D002614:Chelating Agents; D048271:Chitosan
Chitosan; hepatoma formation; lung metastasis; xenograft models