Efficacy of intra-arterial norcantharidin in suppressing tumour 14C-labelled glucose oxidative metabolism in rat Morris hepatoma.

Abstract

Norcantharidin is the demethylated form of Cantharidin, which is the active ingredient of the blister beetle, Mylabris, a long used Chinese traditional medicine. Though not well publicized outside China, Norcantharidin is known to possess significant anti-hepatoma activity, and is relatively free from side effects. In the present study, glucose oxidation in tumour and liver tissue slices harvested from hepatoma-bearing animals was quantified by measuring the radioactivity of 14C-labelled CO2 released from 14C-glucose in oxygen-enriched incubation medium. Results were expressed as a tumour/liver ratio. For comparison, treatments with Norcantharidin, Adriamycin and with hepatic artery ligation were studied. The mean tumour/liver ratio was 4.2 +/- 2.2 in untreated controls, but dropped significantly to 2.3 +/- 0.5 (p < 0.05) with intra-arterial Norcantharidin (0.5 mg/kg) and to 2.3 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.05) with intra-arterial Adriamycin (2.4 mg/kg), and to 2.2 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.05) with hepatic artery ligation. However, with intravenous Adriamycin at 2.4 mg/kg, the mean tumour/liver ratio was reduced to only 3.5 +/- 2.0 and was not significantly different from untreated controls. It is concluded that intra-arterial Norcantharidin is as effective as intraarterial Adriamycin and hepatic artery ligation in suppressing tumour glucose oxidative metabolism. These result simply that Norcantharidin may have a role to play in the chemotherapy of primary liver cancer.

• Authors: P Mack, X F Ha, L Y Cheng
• Journal: HPB surgery : a world journal of hepatic, pancreatic and biliary surgery (HPB Surg) Vol. 10 Issue 2 Pg. 65-72 ( 1996) ISSN: 0894-8569 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9184858 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic
• Carbon Radioisotopes
• Doxorubicin
• norcantharidin
• Glucose

Topics

• Animals
• Antibiotics, Antineoplastic (therapeutic use)
• Antineoplastic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic (therapeutic use)
• Carbon Radioisotopes (metabolism)
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Doxorubicin (therapeutic use)
• Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
• Glucose (metabolism)
• Hepatic Artery (surgery)
• Infusions, Intra-Arterial
• Ligation
• Liver Neoplasms, Experimental (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Male
• Oxidation-Reduction
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred BUF