The Effects of the Alkaloid Tambjamine J on Mice Implanted with Sarcoma 180 Tumor Cells

The tambjamines are a small group of bipyrrolic alkaloids that, collectively, display a significant range of biological activities including antitumor, antimicrobial and immunosuppressive properties. The key objective of the present study was to undertake preclinical assessments of tambjamine J (T-J) so as to determine its in vivo antitumor effects. To that end, sarcoma 180 cells were transplanted in mice and the impacts of the title compound then evaluated using a range of protocols including hematological, biochemical, histopathological, genotoxic and clastogenic assays. As a result it was established that this alkaloid has a significant therapeutic window and effectively reduces tumor growth (by 40% and 79% at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg/day, respectively). In this regard it displays similar efficacy to the clinically-deployed anticancer agent cyclophosphamide and alters animal weight in an analogous manner.

Keywords: Anticancer; DNA intercalation; in vivo; sarcoma 180 cells; tambjamines.