[Prophylactic effect of refined amorphophallus konjac on MNNG-induced lung cancers in mice].

Three hundred and seventy LACA mice of seven weeks old were used in 2 batches for studying the prophylactic effect of Konjaku powder on MNNG-induced lung cancers. These mice (within each batch) were randomly allocated to four groups, namely positive control (MNNG), refined Amorphophallus Konjac (R.A.K.), complex (MNNG + R.A.K.), and blank control (C). In MNNG group, MNNG (250 micrograms) was injected intravenously once five days for seven times in each mouse, the total dosage of MNNG was 1.75 mg. In R.A.K. group, according to w/w, 8% R.A.K. was well mixed into 92% common diet for long-term term breeding. In complex group, MNNG was given as that in MNNG group and the mice were reared as those in R.A.K. group. The mice in MNNG group and in C group were all reared by common diet. The results of experiments showed different degrees of preventive effect of R.A.K. on MNNG-induced lung cancers in LACA mice. R.A.K. not only exerted effect on the number of induced cancer, causing a drop of the cancerous rate from 79.75% to 20.00% and the mean number of cancer in each animal, but also prolonged the survival time of animals. At the same time, the constituent ratio of the kinds of tumor denoted a decrease in malignancy (adenoma with malignant change), an absence of adenocarcinoma and relative increase in benign adenoma. The results of experiments also exhibited good duplication as well as absence of adverse reactions to Konjaku powder.