Inhibition of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene induced mouse skin carcinogenesis by Artemisia capillaris.

Anticarcinogenic activity of medicinal herbs (Artemisia capillaris, Taxus cuspidata, Anthriscus sylveatris, and Curcuma longa) was examined for 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis. Four types of solvent fractions (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol) were prepared from the methanolic extract of medicinal herbs. The cytotoxicity and anticarcinogenic activities of solvent fractions were examined for mouse leukemia L1210 cancer cells and for female ICR mouse epidermal carcinogenesis induced by DMBA, respectively. The chloroform fraction of Artemisia capillaris, Taxus cuspidata, and Anthriscus sylveatris was more toxic to L1210 cells than other solvent fractions. The chloroform fraction of Artemisia capillaris markedly reduced the number of tumors/mouse and tumor incidence relative to that of other medicinal herbs tested. Major active chemical constituents in the chloroform fraction of Artemisia capillaries were found to be camphor, 1-borneol, coumarin, and achillin when analyzed by TLC and GC-MS. These results suggest that Artemisia capillaris was the most effective anticarcinogenic medicinal herb for DMBA-induced mouse epidermal carcinogenesis among 4 medicinal herbs tested, and the effect might be attributed to chemical compounds of camphor, 1-borneol, coumarin, and achillin.