Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of salivary glands. In this report, we used hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) as a inducer to induce human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line MEC-1 cells to differentiate. The growth kinetics, morphological changes and DNA contents of the cells were investigated. The results showed that HMBA-treated MEC-1 cells tend to become mature cells, implying that HMBA can induce differentiation of MEC-1 cells in vitro.

In this paper, the preparation, drug content, size and size distribution, appearance and morphology, release characteristics in vitro and degradation characteristics of cisplatin chitosan microspheres (CDDP-DAC-MS) were studied. CDDP-DAC-MS were prepared by emulsion-crosslink technique. The CDDP-DAC-MS was shown to have rough spherical surface under scanning electron microscopy. The average diameter of the microspheres was 74.80 microns and CDDP content was 20.83% +/- 0.36%. CDDP-DAC-MS swelled slightly in saline after 1 h. Within the test period, the release of CDDP from CDDP-DAC-MS in saline solution could be described by first-order equation. The microspheres were sterilized by 60Co radiation. After 28 d of hepatic artery embolization with CDDP-DAC-MS in dogs, pathological photomicrograph showed that CDDP-DAC-MS could still be observed.

Yungumycin, produced by a Streptomyces strain which was isolated from a soil sample collected in Guanping Nature Conservation Zone, Yunnan Province, China, has been verified to be identical with gougerotin. Determined by clonogenic assay, the IC50 of yungumycin to KB cells was found to be 1 microgram.ml-1. By spermatogonial assay, the activity of yungumycin was very close to that of 5-FU and MTX. Administered by i.p. route, yungumycin showed moderate inhibition against colon carcinoma 26 in mice. However, yungumycin by oral administration exerted highly inhibitory effects on both colon carcinoma 26 and sarcoma 180 (solid tumor) in mice and the inhibition rates reached 85% and 83%, respectively, at tolerable dose. Compared at equitoxic dose of 1/6 LD50, the inhibitory effect of yungumycin (15 mg.kg-1) on sarcoma 180 was similar to that of 5-FU (40 mg.kg-1), showing 72% and 70% tumor inhibition, respectively. Initially, gougerotin was reported as an antibacterial antibiotic without mentioning its antitumor activity. The present studies demonstrate that yungumycin (gougerotin), by oral administration, may be useful in cancer chemotherapy.

DDB is a hepatoprotectant and has been widely used for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis in China. The drug markedly improved the abnormal liver function particularly in lowering the elevated serum transaminases in patients. It is known that there is a close correlation between primary hepatocarcinoma and chronic viral hepatitis. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of DDB on hepatocarcinoma cell line. The results showed that the growth and clonogenicity of Bel-7402 human hepatocarcinoma cell line cultured with DDB were markedly inhibited. The nucleoles of the cells treated with DDB disappeared or their numbers and nucleus/cytoplasm ratio decreased under electron microscopic observation. DDB at the concentration of 10(-4) mol.L-1 significantly increased the contents of cAMP and calmodulin (CaM) in Bel-7402 hepatocarcinoma cells. DDB was also found to inhibit topoisomerase II activity of Bel-7402 hepatocarcinoma cells. These results suggest that the mechanism of inhibition of DDB on several phenotypes of Bel-7402 cell line may be related to its effect on cAMP and CaM content as well as topoisomerase II activity.

To investigate the enhanced impact of cyclosporin A (CsA) on antitumor activity of cisplatin (DDP) for human ovarian cancer cells.

To study the antitumor activity of sobuzoxane (Sob) in combination with doxorubicin (Dox) and the effect of Sob on Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.

We have systematically observed in the present study the anticarcinogenic and immunomodulatory effects of 4-Seleno-carageenan (Se-carra) as well as their possible mechanisms of actions in vivo and in vitro. It was found that se-carra had inhibitory effects on tumor growth in vivo and in vitro. The underlying mechanisms of this tumor suppressive effect may be related with the activation of macrophages, followed by the indirect priming of lymphocytes to release effector molecules such as IL-2, to express IL-2 receptors, and to selectively suppress the synthesis of macromolecules in tumor cells. The results imply that Se-carra has dual functions of tumor cell-killing effect and immunostimulating effect, therefore may serve as a novel immuno-cytotoxic anticarcinogenic drug.

Antisense reconstruct, p16as E6E7Neo, harboring HPV-16E6E7 gene of which the expression is regulatable by dexamethasone was constructed. Calcium phosphate mediated transfection was employed to transduce this antisense reconstruct into HPV-16 positive CasKi cell line and HPV negative C-33A cell line (both derived from human cervical carcinoma) respectively. After dexamethasone was added into the culture medium to induce the expression of E6E7 antisense gene, the malignity of CasKi cells were reversed, while the growth characteristics and malignity of C-33A cells were unchanged. The results show that the reversing effect on CasKi cell is specific and mediated by inhibition of expression of E6E7 gene. It also demonstrated a more profound pathogenic role of HPV-16 E6E7 gene in the tumorogenesis of cervical carcinoma and provides a possibility for gene therapy of this tumor.

In view of the negative relationship between selenium and cancer, we designed and synthesized eleven substituted benzeneselenic acids (IVa-k) The antineoplastic activity of the title compounds was evaluated via the tests of inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, HL-60 and K562 in vitro, and Ehrlich carcinoma in mice. The result showed that the compounds IVa and IVb had distinct antineoplastic activity. The life span increase rate of IVb on mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma was 20.30% (20mg/kg), which was higher than the increase rate of sodium selenite (10.65%, 0.5mg/kg).

We have previously shown that platelet factor 4 (PF 4) is a potent inhibitor of megakaryocytopoiesis and that it may protect stem cells from 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) cytotoxicity. In the present work, the effects of human PF 4 on megakaryocyte (MK) growth from human CD34+ cord blood (CB) cells were studied in comparison with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1). Development of MK from CD34+ cells in both plasma clot culture and liquid culture was significantly inhibited by PF 4 (5 micrograms/ml) and TGF beta 1 (1 ng/ml). Inhibition of cell growth by PF 4 was reversible judging from the fact that the CD34+ cells preincubated with PF 4 could regenerate colonies after washing and replating into the cultures. By contrast, TGF-beta 1 pretreated CD34+ cells gave rise to few colonies following replating. Moreover, incubation of CD34+ cells with PF 4 in liquid culture caused an increase in the number of both stem cell factor (SCF)-binding cells and CD34 antigen-bearing cells, and exhibited greater capacity to form MK colonies than control after the treatment of 5-FU. In vivo in mice, twice injections of PF 4 at 40 micrograms/kg with an interval of 6 h followed by one injection of 5-FU at 150 mg/kg resulted in a significant increase in the number of colony-forming cells with high proliferative potential (HPP-CFC) and colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) in bone marrow. In exponentially growing human erythroleukemia cells (HEL), the addition of PF 4 prolonged cell cycle progression and therefore resulted in an increased cell population in S phase, as determined by flow cytometric analysis. Different from PF 4, TGF-beta 1 blocked more cells in G 1 phase. These results demonstrate that PF 4 and TFG-beta 1 inhibit MK development from CD34+ CB cells by different mechanisms and suggest that PF 4, unlike TGF-beta 1, exerts its inhibitory effect on cell growth in a reversible and S phasespecific manner by which it protects stem cells and MK progenitor cells from 5-FU cytotoxicity.

Thirty cancer patients were studied by using cold pillow compress to prevent alopecia resulting from chemotherapy. The result indicated that persistent use of cold pillow compress, which made the patients comfortable, could reduce the hair follicles inhibition or damage which caused by chemotherapeutic agents. So alopecia can be prevented or decreased.

Thirty-five cases of acute leukemia were treated with methods of Chinese integrated medicine (CIM), i.e. in the CIM group, in which the complete remission rate, partial remission rate and total remission rate were 68.5%, 20.0% and 88.5%, respectively; while those in the random control group were 42.7%,20% and 62.7%, respectively. The comparison between the two groups showed a significant difference(P < 0.05). The patients' survival period in CIM group of 1,3,5 and above 5 years was shown in 20, 12, 7 and 5 cases, but in the control group, 9,5,0 and 0 cases, respectively. The comparison between the two groups also showed an obvious difference (P < 0.01), which demonstrates that the therapeutic effect was better in the CIM group and the patients' survival period was longer in the CIM group, too.

To study the genotoxicity of bimolane.

The drug concentration--time curves of mitoxantrone polycyanoacrylate nanoparticles freeze-dried injection (DHAQ-PBCA-NP-FDIn) and mitoxantrone solution injection (DHAQ-SIn) in rabbit blood were determined by HPLC column switching technique, and the difference between the DHAQ-PBCA-NP-FDIn and DHAQ-SIn in vivo was observed. The pharmacokinetic parameters of DHAQ-PBCA-NP-FDIn and DHAQ-SIn were presented by statistical moment. The results showed that the MRT and T1/2 of DHAQ-PBCA-NP-FDIn were 2.15 times longer than that of DHAQ-SIn, and the Vss was 4.81 times bigger than that of DHAQ-SIn. This indicates that DHAQ-PBCA-NP-FDIn has targeting and prolonging effect on the action in vivo.

The differentiation-inducing activity of tanshinone (TAN) and all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) was studied in vitro on a human cervical carcinoma cell line, ME180. The tumor cells were treated with TAN or RA in DMSO (final concentration 0.02%, V/V) on 4 successive days. Cells treated with the same concentration of DMSO alone served as control. Morphologic studies with light and transmission electron microscopy showed that the cells treated with both TAN and RA became well-differentiated. The cell growth, (as revealed by cell counting and 3H-TdR incorporation) was inhibited and the tumorigenicity in nude mice was reduced. No significant difference was observed between the cells treated with TAN and RA.

Anticarcinogenic action of beta-carotene was analyzed with determination of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity induced by TPA and a two-stage model of skin papilloma-genesis in mice. Results showed increase of ODC activity induced by TPA could be significantly inhibited, onset of tumor postponed, and number of tumor foci decreased by beta-carotene. It suggested beta-carotene had an obvious chemoprophylactic effect on tumor.

Colorectal cancer was induced by subcutaneous injection of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in mice, and the animals were administered orally with 0.4% of tea polyphenols (TP) simultaneously for 20 weeks to study its preventive effects. Results showed incidence of colorectal cancer in mice administered with TP was significantly lower than in positive controls (P < 0.05), and average number of tumor foci and proportion of adenocarcinoma were significantly fewer in TP group than in positive controls (P < 0.01). Level of cytochrome P450 (CP450) in liver microsome of the mice administered with TP was lower than that both in negative and positive controls (P < 0.01), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver tissue were higher than those in positive controls (P < 0.01), but lower than in negative controls (P < 0.01). Proliferative index of epithelial cells in mice was not obviously influenced by TP. It suggested that TP could have preventive effects on experimental colorectal cancer with a possible mechanism of lowering CP450 and increasing the activity of SOD in the liver.

All-trans-retinoic acid (RA) is a powerful differentiation-inducing reagent. We examined the effect of RA on malignant phenotype of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line GLC-82 in vitro. Treatment of GLC-82 cell with 10(-5)mol/L. RA for 1-7 days resulted in suppression of cell proliferation (33-55%), inhibition of colony formation in soft agar (97.5%), and a decrease of 3H-TdR incorporation (30-60%). Cytokinetic studies demonstrated that the cells arrested in G1/G0 phase increased from 36.0% to 72.4%, which is typical for cell differentiation. Human endothelial cell transglytaminase (TGase) was expressed persistently during RA treatment. Treatment of GLC-82 cell with RA gave rise to senescence and apoptosis gradually. The results indicated that induction of differentiation and modulation of gene expression can be achieved by RA treatment in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line GLC-82.

The F(ab')2-DNR-liposomes were prepared using F(ab')2 obtained from digested monoclonal antibody against human white cells HI30 (CD45). Their affinity constant for peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined by radioimmunoassay. Ka = 2.0 x 10(9). A good specific conjugation ability was demonstrated. In preparing the immunoliposomes, it was found that F(ab')2 coupled to the smaller liposomes with higher conjugation ratio.