High correlation between lipid peroxide radical and tumor-promoter effect: suppression of tumor promotion in the Epstein-Barr virus/B-lymphocyte system and scavenging of alkyl peroxide radicals by various vegetable extracts.

We examined the ability of hot-water extracts of 66 vegetables and plants to suppress tumor promotion, as well as to scavenge lipid peroxide radicals in vitro. To assess the effect against tumor promotion (transformation) in vitro, we used the phorbol myristate acetate/Epstein-Barr virus/B-lymphocyte system. To assess the lipid radical-scavenging effect, the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence method using the tert-butyl hydroperoxide/heme system was used, which generates more alkyl peroxide radical (ROO.) than alkyl (R.) and alkoxyl (RO.) radicals. The results showed a significant correlation between the anti-tumor-promoting effect and the lipid radical-scavenging effect (r = 0.82). We found that boiled extracts of green leaves of carrot, crucifers, and beans (black bean, red bean, mung bean, and soybean) had the greatest anti-tumor-promoter and radical-scavenging activities. Cold-water extracts of vegetables generally exhibited only about 10% or less of the activity of the hot-water extracts.