Anti-Tumor Effect of Orally Administered Spinach Glycolipid Fraction on Implanted Cancer Cells, Colon-26, in Mice

• Published in: Lipids Vol. 43; no. 8; pp. 741 - 748
• Main Authors: Maeda, Naoki, Kokai, Yasuo, Ohtani, Seiji, Sahara, Hiroeki, Kumamoto-Yonezawa, Yuko, Kuriyama, Isoko, Hada, Takahiko, Sato, Noriyuki, Yoshida, Hiromi, Mizushina, Yoshiyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.08.2008; Springer-Verlag; Springer‐Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: adenocarcinoma; administration & dosage; Administration, Oral; animal disease models; Animals; anticarcinogenic activity; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents - standards; Anti‐angiogenesis activity; Anti‐cancer cell growth activity; Anti‐tumor activity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; biosynthesis; blood supply; Body weight; Cell Line, Tumor; cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; chemistry; Colonic Neoplasms; Colonic Neoplasms - blood supply; Colonic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colonic Neoplasms - pathology; colorectal neoplasms; drug effects; drug therapy; Female; Glycolipid; glycolipids; Glycolipids - administration & dosage; Glycolipids - biosynthesis; Glycolipids - chemistry; Glycolipids - therapeutic use; human health; Humans; Life Sciences; Lipidology; Medical Biochemistry; Medicinal Chemistry; metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neurochemistry; Nutrition; oral administration; Original Article; pathology; Spinach; Spinacia oleracea; Spinacia oleracea - metabolism; therapeutic use; Tumors; Spinach; Anti-angiogenesis activity; Anti-tumor activity; Glycolipid; Anti-cancer cell growth activity
• ISSN: 0024-4201; 1558-9307
• DOI: 10.1007/s11745-008-3202-5

We succeeded in purifying a major glycolipid fraction from a green vegetable, spinach. This fraction consists mainly of three glycolipids: monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG), and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG). In a previous study, we found that the glycolipid fraction inhibited DNA polymerase activity, cancer cell growth and tumor growth with subcutaneous injection. We aimed to clarify oral administration of the glycolipid fraction, suppressing colon adenocarcinoma (colon-26) tumor growth in mice. A tumor graft study showed that oral administration of 20 mg/kg glycolipid fraction for 2 weeks induced a 56.1% decrease in the solid tumor volume (P < 0.05) without any side-effects, such as loss of body weight or major organ failure, in mice. The glycolipid fraction induced the suppression of colon-26 tumor growth with inhibition of angiogenesis and the expression of cell proliferation marker proteins such as Ki-67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Cyclin E in the tumor tissue. These results suggest that the orally administered glycolipid fraction from spinach could suppress colon tumor growth in mice by inhibiting the activities of neovascularization and cancer cellular proliferation in tumor tissue.