Dietary Lutein from Marigold Extract Inhibits Mammary Tumor Development in BALB/c Mice

Manuscript received 16 December 1997. Initial reviews completed 10 March 1998. Revision accepted 13 July 1998.

Jean Soon Park^*, Boon P. Chew^{*, ,} , and Teri S. Wong

^* Program in Nutrition and  Department Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6351

High levels of dietary lutein can inhibit mammary tumor growth in mice. However, the antitumor effect of low levels of dietary lutein on mammary tumors is unavailable. Female BALB/c mice and the WAZ-2T (SA) mammary tumor cell line were used in two experiments. A preliminary tumor cell dose titration study (Experiment 1) was designed to determine the inoculation dose to produce ~65% tumor incidence. Mice (n = 10/dose) were inoculated with 0 to 1 × 10⁶ tumor cells in the right inguinal mammary fat pad. A tumor cell load of 2.5 × 10³ cells/inoculation produced ~65% tumor incidence. This dose was used in a subsequent study (Experiment 2) of the efficacy of dietary lutein against mammary tumor development. Mice (n = 20/treatment) were fed a semisynthetic diet containing 0, 0.002, 0.02, 0.2 or 0.4% lutein from marigold extract. After 14 d, all mice were inoculated with 2.5 × 10³ tumor cells, and tumor growth was measured daily for 70 d at which time blood, liver, spleen and tumors were obtained. Lutein + zeaxanthin uptake increased dose-dependently (P < 0.05) with dietary lutein levels from 0 to 0.02% (spleen) or 0.2% (plasma, liver and tumor). Low levels (0.002 and 0.02%) of dietary lutein lowered (P < 0.05) mammary tumor incidence, tumor growth and lipid peroxidation, and increased tumor latency, whereas higher dietary levels (0.2 or 0.4%) were less effective. Therefore, very low amounts of dietary lutein (0.002%) can efficiently decrease mammary tumor development and growth in mice.

The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 10 October 1998, pp. 1650-1656
Copyright ©1998 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

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