GINSENG INTESTINAL BACTERIAL METABOLITE IH901 AS A NEW ANTIMETASTATICAGENT

Anti-metastatic activities of IH901, an intestinal bacterial metabolic derivative formed from Ginseng protopanaxadiol saponins, was determin ed in vitro and in vivo. Under in vitro conditions, IH901 inhibited th e migration of bovine aortic endothelial cells 25 times stronger than suramin and suppressed the invasion of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells into reconstituted basement membrane components of Matrigel 1000 time s stronger than RGDS peptide. IH901 also showed inhibitory effect on t ype-IV collagenase secretion from HT1080 cells and platelet aggregatio n. When the anti-metastatic activity of IH901 was evaluated in compari son with that of 5-FU using a spontaneous lung metastatic model of Lew is lung carcinoma, the administration of IH901 (10 mg/kg p.o.) to tumo r-bearing mice led to a significant decrease in lung metastasis (43% o f untreated control), which was slightly more effective than that obta ined with 5-FU (56% of control). Thus, IH901 seems to exhibit its anti -metastatic activity partly through the inhibition of tumor invasion w hich results from the blockade of type IV collagenase secretion and al so through anti-platelet and anti-angiogenic activities.