Chemical and biochemical studies on carbohydrate esters. II. Antitumor activity of saturated fatty acids and their ester derivatives against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.

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Abstract
Antitumor activity of normal saturated monocarboxylic acids and their ester derivatives was examined with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice. The samples used were a series of fatty acids ranging in C chain length from C3 to C18, i.e., propionic, butyric, valeric, caproic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids; their methyl esters; 1-O-acyl-.beta.-D-glucopyranose tetraacetates derived from these fatty acids; and the so-called sucrose monoesters of caprylic, lauric and myristic acids. Each agent was administered to mice by i.p. injection at the dose of 400 mg/kg per day .times. 5, and the effect was evaluated with total packed cell volume ratio on the 7th day after tumor implantation. Among 11 fatty acids tested, lauric and myristic acids were highly effective, while the others were ineffective or toxic. The methyl esters corresponding to the antitumor inactive fatty acids with a C chain length of C6-C10 possessed significant effect. The most prominent activity was exhibited with methylcaprylate. All members of the 3rd group showed negligible antitumor effect. The sucrose monoesters, especially myristate, exerted marked activity, although their strong toxicity could not be overlooked.