Abstract
(+)-Catechin, a flavonoid extractable from higher plants and trees, inhibits the invasion of malignant MO4 fibrosarcoma cells into embryonic chick heart fragments in vitro. This inhibition is maximal at a drug concentration of 0·5 mM. The growth of the MO4 cells is only partly inhibited at such a concentration, and the effect can hardly be ascribed to an irreversible cytotoxicity of the drug to the host tissue. Pretreatment of the host tissue with the drug seems to be a prerequisite for the inhibitory action, which suggests that the anti-invasive effect is at least partly mediated by the condition of the heart tissue. We hypothesize that the collagen-stabilizing effect of (+)-catechin is the key to the explanation of its anti-invasive properties.
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On leave from the Laboratory of Histology, State University of Ghent, Belgium.
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Bracke, M.E., Van Cauwenberge, R.ML. & Mareel, M.M. (+)-Catechin inhibits the invasion of malignant fibrosarcoma cells into chick heart in vitro . Clin Exp Metast 2, 161–170 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052416
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052416