If. Pryme et al., The growth of an established murine non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumour is limitedby switching to a phytohaemagglutinin-containing diet, CANCER LETT, 146(1), 1999, pp. 87-91
The growth of a non-Hodgkin lymphoma, developing subcutaneously as a solid
tumour in NMRI mice, is markedly diminished by including phytohaemagglutini
n (PHA), a lectin present in raw kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), in the d
iet. In the experiment described in this communication the effect of first
allowing tumours to develop for 5 days before switching the mice to a diet
containing PHA at different concentrations was tested to establish whether
or not feeding the lectin at late times also resulted in reducing tumour gr
owth. This switch of diet indeed proved to be effective in slowing down gro
wth of the lymphoma tumour. The reduced rate of growth occurs in a dose-dep
endent manner. We have suggested that a competition between the gut epithel
ium undergoing PHA-stimulated hyperplasia and the developing tumour may occ
ur for polyamines and other nutrients from a common body pool and this coul
d be an important contributory factor with regard to the observed low level
of tumour growth following the feeding of PHA-containing diet. Recent data
which showed that the level of hyperplasia of the small bowel in response
to feeding the PHA diets was higher in non-injected mice compared to those
which had been injected with tumour cells substantiated the concept of comp
etition between gut and tumour for nutrients and other requirements for gro
wth. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.