Retarding Effect of Vitamin Deficient and Cholesterol Free Diets on Growth of Sarcoma 180. ∗

Summary

By using 15 individual diets, each deficient in a single vitamin, it was possible to ascertain the vitamin avidities of growing solid Sarcoma 180 in CF₁ white Swiss mice. Significant retardation of growth was produced separately by diets deficient in thiamine, riboflavin and pyridoxine. In each instance, the growth retarding effect of the diet could be reversed by admixing the corresponding vitamin with the diet. A diet deficient in cholesterol caused 49% inhibition of sarcoma growth without significant mortality. This was equivalent to the growth inhibition produced separately by pyridoxine deficient diet and L-penicillamine. An all vitamin-free, cholesterol-free diet caused 76% tumor inhibition with 10% mortality. Admixture of cholesterol to both cholesterol-free diets, reversed their tumor retarding effects. The need for a broad experimental approach to cancer etiology and chemotherapy was discussed.