ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY OF COUMARIN IN PROSTATE AND MAMMARY-CANCER MODELS

The antineoplastic and antimetastatic activities of coumarin were eval uated in transplanted prostate tumours of the rat. The growth of Noble Nb-R prostate tumours was strongly inhibited by coumarin (40 mg/kg; a dministered three times per week), whereas the hormonally more sensiti ve Dunning R3327-G rat prostate carcinoma did not respond. Coumarin wa s also shown to possess antimetastatic activity in a Dunning R3327-Mat Lu tumour model. The number of lung metastases was reduced significant ly by 40%-50% following the adminstration of coumarin (40 mg daily). P reliminary data from experiments with rats bearing DMBA-induced mammar y carcinomas showed that these tumours are as sensitive to coumarin as Noble-R-prostate tumours.