The leaves and flowers of Aglaia odorata LOUR. (Meliaceae) are used in China as a herbal remedy for treatment of bruises, vertigo, cough etc. and the flowers are also used for scenting tea on account of its fragrance.1) From this plant, the aminopyrrolidine-diamides odorine and odorinol (ϭ2-hydroxyodorine), 2,3) and other constituents, 4-7) had been isolated. In addition, the anti-leukemic activity of odorinol against P-388 lymphocytic leukemia of mice has already been reported.3) As part of our search for possible cancer chemopreventive agents from natural sources, we have already reported a primary in vitro assay indicating the inhibitory effects on Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation in Raji cells induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). [8][9][10][11] Because chemical carcinogenesis is a two-stage or multi-stage process, including initiation, promotion, and progression stages, anti-tumor promoters and initiators have been regarded as most promising agents for the chemoprevention of cancer.
12)As a result, we have characterized the potent anti-tumor promoting activity of odorine and odorinol isolated from A. odorata. 6) In the present study, we carried out in vivo twostage carcinogenesis tests of these compounds on mouse skin using 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/TPA, 13) since many compounds inhibiting EBV-EA activation have been shown to act as inhibitors of tumor promotion in in vivo systems.14-17) Further, on the basis of experimental proof that nitric oxide (NO) strongly initiated carcinogenesis [18][19][20] on mouse skin, the inhibitory effects of odorine and odorinol on tumor-initiation by NO donors such as (Ϯ)-(E)-methyl-2-[(E)-hydroxyimino]-5-nitro-6-methoxy-3-hexenamide (NOR-1) 19) and peroxynitrite 20) were also investigated.
MATERIALS AND METHODSChemicals DMBA and TPA were purchased from Nacalai Tesque (Kyoto, Japan). NOR-1 and peroxynitrite were obtained from Dojindo Laboratories (Kumamoto, Japan).Animals Specific pathogen-free female ICR-(6-weekold) and SENCAR-mice (6-week-old) were obtained from Japan SLC Inc. (Shizuoka, Japan). These animals were housed, five per polycarbonate cage, in a temperature-controlled room at 24Ϯ2°C and given food and water ad libitum. Isolation of Odorine and Odorinol from Aglaia odorata Leaves of A. odorata (700 g) were harvested in January, 1993 in the Herbarium Bogoriense (Bogor, Indonesia). The ethyl acetate-soluble fraction was prepared (47.6 g from 78.0 g of the MeOH extract) and aminopyrrolidine-diamides, odorine (160 mg) and odorinol (230 mg), were isolated in 99.9% purity from the crude fraction by the previously reported method.
6)
Two-Stage Mouse Skin Carcinogenesis TestInduced by DMBA/TPA The animals (female ICR mice, 6-week-old) were divided into three experimental groups of 15 mice each. The back of each mouse was shaved with surgical clippers, and the mice were carcinogenically initiated with DMBA (100 mg, 390 nmol) in acetone (0.1 ml) as an initiation treatment. For group I (positive control group), one week after ...