Cancer chemopreventive activity of the prenylated coumarin, umbelliprenin, in vivo

Eur J Cancer Prev. 2009 Sep;18(5):412-5. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32832c389e.

Abstract

Umbelliprenin is a prenylated compound, which belongs to the class of sesquiterpene coumarins. In continuation of our earlier in-vitro finding, we determined to assess the cancer chemopreventive activity of umbelliprenin in vivo by using a two-stage carcinogenesis assay of mouse skin tumors induced by peroxynitrite as an initiator and TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) as a promoter. In this assay, treatment with umbelliprenin along with peroxynitrite/TPA delayed the formation of papillomas up to week 9, and approximately 33.3 and 86.6% of the mice bore papillomas after 11 and 20 weeks of promotion, respectively. Umbelliprenin reduced the number of tumors per mouse by 45% after 20 weeks of promotion compared with the control group. Interestingly, this is equal to the corresponding value (45%) for curcumin, used as a reference standard compound in our study. In addition, the pattern of tumor promotion was slower in mice treated with umbelliprenin compared with the curcumin. Therefore, umbelliprenin might be valuable as a cancer chemopreventive agent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anticarcinogenic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinogens
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Mice
  • Papilloma / chemically induced
  • Papilloma / prevention & control*
  • Peroxynitrous Acid
  • Skin Neoplasms / chemically induced
  • Skin Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Umbelliferones / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Anticarcinogenic Agents
  • Carcinogens
  • Umbelliferones
  • Peroxynitrous Acid
  • umbelliprenin