Konoshima T, Takasaki M, Tatsumoto T, Kozuka M, Kasai R, Tanaka O, Nie R L, Tokuda H, Nishino H, Iwashima A
Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Biol Pharm Bull. 1994 May;17(5):668-71. doi: 10.1248/bpb.17.668.
To search for possible anti-tumor-promoters, we carried out a primary screening of 21 cucurbitane triterpenoids using an in vitro assay system. Of these triterpenoids, scandenoside R6 (6), 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin F (14), 25-acetyl-23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin F (15), 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin F (17) and cucurbitacin F (18) exhibited significant inhibitory effects on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activation induced by the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Further, compounds 14 and 17 exhibited remarkable anti-tumor-promotion effects on mouse skin tumor promotion in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test.
