Pharmacological Studies on the Effect of the Treatment of Swiss A Mice with Diospyrin, a Tumour-inhibitory Plant Product, and its Synthetic Derivatives

Abstract

Diospyrin, a bisnaphthoquinonoid plant product and its derivatives have shown significant inhibitory activities against murine tumours in vivo. Studies on the haematological status, serum protein and creatinine levels, activities of several serum glycolytic enzymes, and histopathology of the mice inoculated with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma were carried out after treatment with diospyrin and four synthetic derivatives. The prognostic significance of the pharmacological parameters acting as markers of the diseased state was evident from these findings. Normal mice were also studied before and after treatment with these compounds which did not cause noticeable adverse effects on the vital parameters, thereby indicating the possibility of the utilization of diospyrin and derivatives as appropriate therapeutic agents.