Inhibitory effects of vegetable and fruit ferment liquid on tumor growth in Hepatoma-22 inoculation model.

The aim of this study was to determine the anti-tumor effect of vegetables and fruits ferment liquid (VFFL) in human hepatoma-22(H22)-bearing mice. Mice bearing H22 were randomly divided into four groups, that is a control group and three VFFL groups (16.7, 33.3 and 66.6 ml/kg). Inhibition rates of tumor, thymus and spleen index were observed. The apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and the apoptotic body was observed under an electron microscope. A survival study was performed on the same model for the duration of 60 days. For this survival study, the mice were divided into five groups, which included a control group, three VFFL groups (16.7, 33.3 and 66.6 ml/kg) and a CP group. Tumor inhibition rates for VFFL16.7, 33.3 and 66.6ml/kg were 25.7%, 35.0 % (p<0.05) and 49.1 % (p<0.01) respectively at 30d, increasing in proportion to the concentration of VFFL given. Thymus and spleen indices of the VFFL groups were also higher than that of the control group. The apoptotic rates in VFFL 16.7, 33.3 and 66.6 ml/kg groups were 20.5%, 24.0% and 15.8% respectively, while it was only 6.82% in control group. In particular, the apoptotic body in the 66.6 ml/kg group exhibited typical apoptotic characteristics, e.g., condensation of nucleus, chromatin fragmentation, and shrinkage of cytoplasm. For the survival study, the mice in the VFFL 66.6ml/kg group exhibited significantly extended survival rates compared with the mice in the control group (p<0.05). This study concludes that VFFL possesses anti-tumor properties, which it exhibits by inducing apoptosis and prolonging life in H22 tumor-bearing mice.