Abstract
Inhibitory effects of cockle extracts on carcinogen-induced cytotoxicity in C3H/10T1/2 cells were studied. Soup (62$\mu\textrm{g}$/mL), solubility (28$\mu\textrm{g}$/mL) and liposolubility (9 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL) of the cockle inhibited 3-methyl-cholanthrene(MCA)-induced cytotoxicity in C3H/10T1/2 cells by 53 and 94%, respectively. These results suggest that the extracts cockle might have anticarcinogen-induced cytotoxicity of C3H/10T1/2 cells. The effects of cockle extracts on the immune response related to its antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo were investigated. The cockle extracts showed a direct cytotoxic effect on sarcoma-180 cells, tumor cells in vitro. Soup (0.49 mg/mL), solubility (0.11 mg/mL) and liposolubiliy (0.05 mg/mL) of the cockle markedly decreased the total numbers of sarcoma-180 cells, but not their viability. The phagocytic acitivity of peritoneal macrophage of mice was significantly augmented by these extracts of the cockle compared with that of control in vivo. These extracts also raised the phagocuytic index, indicating that the number of phagocytize dmicrobes per macrophage increased. Thus, cockle extracts might show a antitumor activity by enhancing the phagocytic cell activities.
