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Inhibition of Murine Melanoma Growth by Sodium Ascorbate^1,2,

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

Ascorbic acid has been reported to play a role in treatment and prevention of cancer. This study was carried out to determine the effect of ascorbate on growth of normal LLCMK cells and transformed BL6 cells in cell culture and on the growth of BL6 melanomas in vivo. Ascorbic acid levels were also measured to determine the effect of tumor growth and supplementary ascorbate on cellular ascorbic acid levels. Ascorbate addition at levels of up to 200 µg/ml was found to inhibit the in vitro growth of BL6 cells but not of LLCMK cells. Ascorbic acid levels in both cell types were very similar. The presence of tumors was found to reduce liver ascorbic acid levels in mice. Supplementary dietary ascorbate increased liver and tumor ascorbic acid levels and also reduced the growth of BL6 melanomas transplanted in C57 mice. Ascorbate thus appears to play a role in suppression of BL6 melanoma growth.

KEY WORDS: • ascorbate • BL6 mouse melanoma • tissue ascorbic acid

¹ This work was funded by a grant from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, and the Stella and Paul Loewenstein Research Scholarship, administered by Metboard, South Africa.

² Presented in part at the First Joint Congress of the South African Biochemical Society, South African Genetics Society and the South African Society for Microbiology at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, June/July, 1986. Gardiner, N. S. and Duncan, J. R. (1986). The effect of vitamin C and prostaglandins E₁ and E₂ on cell growth. Proceedings of the South African Biochemical Society Congress 8: 305 (abs.)

³ To whom reprint requests should be addressed: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa.

Manuscript received 21 September 1987. Revision accepted 10 October 1988.