Atractylodis Rhizoma extract and its component, atractylon, inhibit tumor promotion in mouse skin two-stage carcinogenesis.

The methanol extract of Atractylodis Rhizoma, a traditional Chinese medicine, was found to have antitumor-promoting activity in two-stage carcinogenesis. From the active fraction of the extract, atractylon was isolated. The isolated compound showed inhibitory activity against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear inflammation in mice. Furthermore, atractylon markedly inhibited tumor promotion by TPA following 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene initiation in mice.