Nonpolar lipid composition of Chenopodium album grown in continuously cultivated and nondisturbed soils.

Chenopodium album L. plants grown in continuously cultivated and in nondisturbed soils were compared in terms of the compositions of nonpolar extracts of the corresponding aerial parts. Both light petroleum ether extracts of C. album L. were analyzed by high-performance thin-layer LC, capillary GC, and capillary GC-EI-MS. Further percolation and medium-pressure LC, along with EI-MS analysis, permitted the separation and identification of the chemical constituents. Differences were observed between mean contents of the chemical constituents of C. album L., with respect to nonpolar extracts, obtained from continuously cultivated and from nondisturbed soils, in particular in linear and branched long-chain hydrocarbons, FA and their esters, and long-chain linear alcohols and aldehydes. The most remarkable features of the disturbed soils were a pronounced increase in the amounts of linear hydrocarbons and a decrease in the relative proportions of FA.

A synthetic, nitrogenated antimetastatic and anti-angiogenic compound with low toxicity in vivo.

The design of more effective therapies for metastatic disease involves development of new compounds able to specifically block the malignant process. We demonstrated previously that a new synthetic nitrogenated compound 3'-1-chloroethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo-(2, 1-i)-purine-4-ium-7-yl-3'-deoxy-1',5', 6'-tri-O-(methylsulfonyl)-muco-inositol chloride (DIC) had an anti-proliferative activity on tumor cells in vitro. In the present work we demonstrate that DIC induces apoptosis on the LM3 murine mammary adenocarcinoma cell line in vitro and has anti-angiogenic activity in vivo. We also evaluated toxicity, biodistribution and anti-neoplastic properties of DIC in vivo. Toxicity studies allowed us to establish the LD50 (750 mg/kg body weight). Administration of 250 mg/kg/day (LD10) for 6 days did not cause overt toxic effects. Biodistribution assays revealed that DIC was rapidly eliminated (60% at t=10 min), although it accumulated in tumor tissue at higher concentrations than in other tissues. Daily s.c. treatment with DIC (LD10) for 24 days significantly reduced the number of spontaneous lung metastases. These results suggest that DIC has the ability of impairing the metastatic development by inhibiting angiogenesis and inducing apoptosis on tumor cells.

Action of nitrogenated and sulfonylated inositol derivatives upon the proliferation in vitro of normal mouse cells and tumor mouse cells.

Despite the major advances of cancer chemotherapy during the past 40 years, host toxicities and drug resistance justify the need to continue the search for new antineoplastic agents. In the present work, we have studied the effect of six synthetic drugs on the in vitro growth of two murine mammary adenocarcinomas (M3 and MM3), as well as on normal embryonic cells. AI, MIC and MPI are purines coupled to a sulfonylated inositol, while DIC and DEI have nitrogen mustard as substituent. Methylsulfonylmucoinositol was the common substituent. Our results indicated that only drugs substituted with nitrogen mustards had an antiproliferative effect. DEI was more effective on tumor cells than on normal cells.