Abstract

Umbelliprenin (UMB) has shown various pharmacological properties in vitro. We investigated the antineoplastic and immunostimulatory effects of UMB in 4T1 mammary-tumor-bearing mice. Two-hundred microliter of UMB (12.5mg/ml) was intraperitoneally administrated to healthy and tumor-bearing female Balb/c mice for a period of 18 days. Data was analyzed using GraphPad Prism 5 software for Windows (version 5, La Jolla, CA). UMB caused a significant decrease in tumor size (P<0.01). Serum interferon gamma (IFN) was augmented in both healthy and tumor-bearing animals (P<0.01), and IL-4 declined in healthy animals (P<0.01) treated with UMB. Expressions of Ki-67, VEGF, CD31, MMP2, MMP9, VCAM1, and NF-B were significantly decreased in tumors from UMB-treated animals (P<0.001), whereas E-Cadherin and TNFR1 expressions were markedly increased (P<0.001). The rates of liver and lung metastases in UMB-administrated animals were smaller compared to the control. UMB can potently inhibit tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and inflammation and potentiate an antitumor immune response in vivo. However, further investigations are required to evaluate the UMB mechanisms of action in cancerous cells. HIGHLIGHTS Umbelliprenin (UMB) is a coumarin synthesized by many Ferula species. UMB can inhibit tumor growth in 4T1 mammary-tumor-bearing mice. UMB can potentiate an antitumor immune response in 4T1 mammary-tumor-bearing mice.