Rutin exerts antitumor effects on nude mice bearing SW480 tumor

Abstract

Background and aims: We previously showed that extracts from Phoradendron serotinum and Croton lechleri exerted in vitro cytotoxic and in vivo antitumor effects and that their main component was rutin (RTN; 3-rhamnosyl-glucosylquercetin). However, it is unknown whether RTN exerts in vivo antitumoral effects on human colon cancer cells. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antitumor effects of RTN on a murine model.

Methods: Cytotoxic effects of RTN on human cancer and non-tumorigenic cell lines were evaluated using the MTT assay. Different doses of RTN were injected intraperitoneally daily into nu/nu mice bearing tumors of SW480 colon cancer cells during 32 days. The growth and weight of tumors were measured. Serum levels of VEGF, survival time, increase in life span and toxicological effects on body weight and organ weight were also analyzed.

Results: RTN showed the highest cytotoxic effects against SW480 cells (IC₅₀ = 125 μM) as compared to the other cancer cells lines and decreased, in a dose dependent manner, the tumor volume and weight of mice bearing SW480 tumor. RTN 20 mg/kg, the highest dose tested, lacked toxic effects on body weight and relative organ weight in mice, increased mean survival time by 50 days, and decreased by 55% the VEGF serum levels compared to untreated mice.

Conclusions: RTN exerts in vitro cytotoxic effects on SW480 cells, induces in vivo antitumor effects, lacks toxic effects on mice bearing SW480 tumor and exerts antiangiogenic properties.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Antitumor; Colon cancer; Cytotoxic; Rutin; VEGF.