Antitumor effect of Japanese apricot extract (MK615) on human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo through a reactive oxygen species-dependent mechanism.

MK615 is produced from Japanese apricot and contains several cyclic triterpenes, such as oleanolic and ursolic acids. MK615 was shown to strongly suppress cutaneous in-transit metastasis in a patient with malignant melanoma. The present investigation was undertaken to clarify the antitumor effects of MK615 in vitro and in vivo.Several human cancer cell lines were exposed to MK615 for 7 days to examine its antiproliferative effects. The effect of...