Aim: To investigate the inhibitory effect of serum preparation from rabbits orally administered cobra venom (SRCV) on implanted hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in mice.
Methods: An HCC cell line, HepA, was injected into mice to prepare implanted tumors. The animals (n=30) were divided randomly into SRCV, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and distilled water (control) groups. From the second day after transplantation, 20 mg/kg 5-FU was administered intraperitoneally once a day for 9 days. SRCV (1,000 mg/kg) or distilled water (0.2 mL) was given by gastrogavage. Tumor growth inhibition was described by the inhibitory rate (IR). Apoptosis was detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), flow cytometry (FCM), and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL). Student's t-test was performed for statistical analysis.
Results: The tumor growth was inhibited markedly by SRCV treatment compared to that in the control group (P<0.01). The treatment resulted in a significant increase in the apoptotic rate of cancer cells by the factors of 10.5+/-2.4 % and 20.65+/-3.2 % as demonstrated through TUNEL and FCM assays, respectively (P<0.01). The apoptotic cells were also identified by characteristic ultrastructural features.
Conclusion: SRCV can inhibit the growth of implanted HepA cells in mice, and the apoptosis rate appears to elevate during the process.