Although the therapeutic role of
ajoene, an organosulfur compound of garlic, in
cardiovascular diseases and mycology has been established, its usefulness in
cancer treatment has only recently been suggested. We applied
ajoene topically to the
tumors of 21 patients with either nodular or superficial
basal cell carcinoma (BCC). A reduction in
tumor size was seen in 17 patients. Immunohistochemical assays for Bcl-2 expression in a selection of these
tumors before and
after treatment showed a significant decrease in this apoptosis-suppressing
protein. On average, the percentage of
tumor cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki-67 was not decreased, which suggests that the action of
ajoene is not explained by a
cytostatic effect. To obtain further insight into the mode of action of
ajoene, the BCC cell line TE354T and a short-term primary culture of BCC were analyzed for apoptosis induction
after treatment with the
drug. Apoptosis was detected by morphology of the cells and by flow cytometry.
Ajoene induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner in these cultures. Taking together the results of the in vivo and in vitro studies, we conclude that
ajoene can reduce BCC
tumor size, mainly by inducing the mitochondria-dependent route of apoptosis.