Decrease in Bcl-2 Protein Level during the Development of Lewis Carcinosarcome

Abstract

We studied the development of Lewis carcinoma and possible antitumor effect of preliminary administered antioxidant anphen. The tumor was intramuscularly transplanted to C57Bl×DBA mice (7×10⁶ cells per mouse). According to immunoblotting results, the content of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein steadily decreased starting from post-transplantation day 11. In few days, its content decreased by 15-20% and soon the animals died. After administration of anphen, the content of Bcl-2 decreased more rapidly than in the control. Atomic force microscopy revealed a decrease in the mean volume of erythrocytes and then increase in this parameter at the terminal stage of tumor growth. These findings suggest that anphen does not affect the tumor growth rate and mouse lifespan, but enhances apoptosis of blood cells of animals with Lewis carcinoma at the terminal stages of tumor growth.