Artemisinin and Nitric Oxide Mechanisms and Implications in Disease and Health

36 3 ART for Antitumor

Table 3.2 Sensitization of ART’s antitumor activity by ASC when evaluated in tumor-bearing
nude mice

A single asterisk (*) represents significant difference from the control (P < 0.05); Double
asterisks (**) represent very significant difference from the control (P < 0.01)

Treatment Group Tumor

weight (g)

Tumor volume

before treatment

(mm^3 )

Tumor volume after

treatment (mm^3 )

Short-term

injection for

9 days

Control 0.44 ± 0.14 138.69 ± 53.12 460.97 ± 331.21

ART (40 mg/kg/d),

1/15 LD 50

0.43 ± 0.29 273.65 ± 289.38 556.78 ± 554.79

ASC (40:150:15:55

mg/kg/d), 1/20 LD 50

0.41 ± 0.22 208.32 ± 156.39 373.70 ± 302.68

FLU (13 mg/kg/d),

1/15 LD 50

0.42 ± 0.12 116.01 ± 32.27 303.82 ± 33.97

Long-term

injection for

18 days

Control 1.35 ± 0.46 29.63 ± 14.86 1050.11 ± 286.49

ART (40 mg/kg/d),

1/15 LD 50

1.18 ± 0.39 51.18 ± 14.45 1091.46 ± 304.98

ASC (40:200:20:74

mg/kg/d), 1/15 LD 50

for subcutaneous

injection

0.94 ± 0.46 62.96 ± 36.22 782.34 ± 353.23

ASC (40:200:20:74

mg/kg/d), 1/15 LD 50

for intratumor

injection

0.87 ± 0.18* 48.74 ± 7.12 620.51 ± 116.76

FLU (18.5 mg/kg/d),

1/10 LD 50

0.40 ± 0.16** 75.54 ± 22.88 456.55 ± 167.03

Fig. 3.1 The morphological illustration of grafted tumors on nude mice after short-term injec-
tion or long-term injection by antitumor drugs. a Tumors in A1–A3 are from untreated mice;
tumors in B1–B3 are from ART-treated mice; tumors in C1–C3 are from ASC-treated mice;
tumors in D1–D3 are from FLU-treated mice. b Tumors in A1–A5 are from untreated mice;
tumors in B1–B5 are from ART-treated mice; tumors in C1–C5 are from ASC1-treated mice;
tumors in D1–D5 are from ASC2-treated mice; tumors in E1–E5 are from FLU-treated mice