ANTITUMORAL ACTIVITY OF PATULIN AND PATULIN-CYSTEINE ADDUCTS

A comparison between the cytotoxicity and the antitumoral activity of patulin and patulin-cysteine adducts has been conducted. In vitro assa ys using L 1210 and P 388 cells showed that patulin-cysteine adducts h ad less cytotoxic activity than patulin (IC50 was 4 fold of IC50 patul in). In vivo, cysteine not only reduced the toxicity of patulin but al so reduced its antitumoral activity against L 1210 and P 388 mouse leu kemias (respectively of 25.7% and 46.6% with 3 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)). By ad dition on patulin at the 4 or 7 position, cysteine might interfere wit h the lactone function and the -CH2- in position 6 which are responsib le for the antitumoral activity.