THE GROWTH-INHIBITORY EFFECT OF NEW PYRROLO[1,2-ALPHA]BENZIMIDAZOLE DERIVATIVES ON HUMAN GASTRIC-CANCER CELLS

In the course of screening synthetic compounds to inhibit tumor cell g rowth, pyrrolo[1,2-alpha] benzimidazole (PBI), an intermediate of azam itosene, was found to inhibit a proliferation of gastric cancer cell l ines. Despite a potential cytotoxic activity against solid tumor cells as opposed to that against rapidly-doubled leukemic cells, there has been no report on the inhibition of gastric cancer cell line by PBI an d its' derivatives. The present experiment was designed to determine i f PBI derivatives can effectively inhibit the cellular proliferation o f gastric cancer cells by using in vitro as well as in vivo chemosensi tivity system (MTT assay, clonogenic assay and human tumor xenografted assay). Of the tested PBI derivatives, PBI (18) and PBI (20), display ed the effective growth inhibition of cultured gastric cancer cells or even in the xenografted nude mouse model.