Antitumor effect of diacetyldianhydrogalactitol and its mechanism

Objective: The current study was designed to observe the antitumor effect of diacetyldianhydrogalactitol(DADAG) in vivo and in vitro, and to clarify whether its antitumor activity is related to inducing apoptosis. Methods:We established a model of intracerebrally inoculated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice and the antitumor effect of DADAG was observed in vivo. The growth inhibitory effect of DADAG on human myeloid HL 60 and chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell lines was observed by using MTT assay; Cell apoptosis was analyzed by using agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA and flow cytometer. Results:DADAG 10 mg/kg, ip, once a day for continuously 7 days, significantly increased the median lifespan（ MLS） of tumor bearing mice. After incubation for 72 h, DADAG had dramatically growth inhibitory effect on HL 60 and K562 cells in vitro with, IC50 of 3.7 mg/L and 25.5 mg/L, respectively. HL 60 and K562 cells showed typical apoptosis features of“ ladder” and the sub G1 peak in DNA histogram. Conclusions: The antitumor effect of DADAG is relative to inducing cell apoptosis.