Modulation of N-Methyl –N-Nitrosourea-Induced Mammary Tumors in Sprague-Dawley Rats by Combination of Lysine, Proline, Arginine, Ascorbic Acid and Green Tea Extract

M.W. Roomi, V.Ivanov, T.Kalinovsky, A. Niedzwiecki, M.Rath
Breast Cancer Research 2005, 7:R291-R295.

Abstract:
Limitation of current treatment methodologies to control metastasis, as well as the proposed antitumor properties of specific nutrients prompted us to examine the effect of a specific formulation (NS) of lysine, proline, arginine, ascorbic acid, and green tea extract in vivo on development of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced mammary tumors in rats. 50-day-old female Sprague-Dawley rats (N=20) were initiated with a single dose of MNU (50 mg/Kg, i.p.). Two weeks post MNU treatment, a time by which the animals had recovered from MNU-induced toxicity, the rats were divided into two groups. Group I (N=10) was fed Purina chow diet, while Group 2 (N=10) was fed the same diet supplemented with 0.5% NS. Twenty-four weeks thereafter the rats were euthanized and tumors were excised and processed. Results showed that NS inhibited MNU-induced mammary tumor incidence and tumor multiplicity (number tumors per rat) by 68.4% and tumor burden by 60.5%.

The inhibitory effect of NS was also reflected in decreased tumor weight; tumor weight per rat and group was decreased by 41% and 78%, respectively. In addition, 30% of the control rats developed ulcerated tumors in contrast to 10% of the nutrient supplemented rats. These results suggest that the specific formulation of lysine, proline, arginine, ascorbic acid, and green tea extract tested significantly inhibits the incidence, as well as growth, of MNU-induced mammary tumors, and therefore has strong potential as a useful therapeutic regimen for inhibiting breast cancer development.

Key Words:
Antitumor effect, mammary tumors, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, Sprague-Dawley rats

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