Nature 216, 374 - 375 (28 October 1967); doi:10.1038/216374a0

Inhibition of Mouse Sarcoma 180 by a Wheat Hemicellulose B Preparation

WARO NAKAHARA, REIKO TOKUZEN, FUMIKO FUKUOKA & ROY L. WHISTLER

National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo.
Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.

WE have found that the polysaccharide preparation, termed hemicellulose B, isolated from wheat straw is highly active in inhibiting the growth and inducing regression of sarcoma 180 subcutaneously implanted in mice. The polysaccharide preparation has, however, only a slight effect on subcutaneous grafts of Ehrlich carcinoma and no recognizable effect on the growth of autologous grafts of spontaneous mammary adenocarcinomas. Certain polysaccharides from higher plants have been shown to inhibit growth of transplanted tumours, but the polymers also appeared toxic and none were well characterized^1–13. Statolon from P. stoloniferium induces the production of interferon in animal cells¹⁴.

1. Bradner, W. T. , Clark, D. A. , and Stock, C. C. , Cancer Res., 18, 347 (1958). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
2. Diller, I. C. , Mankowski, Z. T. , and Fischer, M. E. , Cancer Res., 23, 201 (1963). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
3. Galbraith, W. , Mayhew, E. , and Roe, E. M. F. , Brit. J. Cancer, 16, 163 (1962). | ISI |
4. Hasselgreen, N. G. , Zeit. Krebsforsch., 45, 495 (1937).
5. Herbut, P. A. , and Kraemer, W. H. , Cancer Res., 16, 1048 (1956). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
6. Lazar, A. , and Lazar, D. C. , J. Nat. Cancer Inst., 28, 1255 (1962). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
7. Lazar, A. , Hruban, Z. , Slesers, A. , and Lazar, D. C. , J. Amer. Med. Assoc., 183, 38 (1963).
8. Mankowski, Z. T. , Yamashita, M. , and Diller, I. C. , Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. and Med., 96, 79 (1957). | ISI | ChemPort |
9. Mathe, G. , and Bernard, J. , C.R. Soc. Biol., 150, 1768 (1956). | ChemPort |
10. Nakahara, W. , Fukuoka, F. , Maeda, Y. , and Aoki, K. , Gann., 55, 283 (1964). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
11. Roe, E. M. F. , Nature, 184, 1891 (1959). | ISI |
12. Sakai, S. , Saito, G. , Sugayama, S. , Kamasuka, T. , Takano, T. , and Takada, S. , Gann, 55, 197 (1964). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
13. Tanaka, T. , Fukuoka, F. , and Nakahara, W. , Gann, 56, 529 (1965). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
14. Stark, William M. , Kleinschmidt, W. J. , and Probst, G. W. , US Patent 3,108,047, Chem. Abstr., 60, 2303 (1964).
15. Methods in Carbohydrate Chemistry (edit. by Whistler, R. L.), 5, 144 (1965).