The preventive and therapeutic potential of the squalene-containing compound, Roidex, on tumor promotion and regression

Abstract

Recent scientific evidence has shown free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) to play an important role in the initiation and progression of cancer. Many radical scavengers have also been found to help reduce the attacks by these ROS. Interestingly, the ROS scavengers that have been investigated are naturally occurring compounds such as vitamins C and E. Roidex is a formulation of squalene, vitamin e, and aloe vera. It was our goal to investigate whether Roidex was able to prevent the development of chemically induced cancer and to cause regression of any tumors already formed in a mouse skin model. In the prevention study, skin tumors were initiated in 50 female CD-1 mice with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) and promoted with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The mice were treated with either mineral oil, 5% squalene, or Roidex. At the end of the prevention study, there was a 33.34% incidence to tumors (multiplicity of 1.40) in the mineral oil-treatment group, 26.67% (multiplicity of 0.467) in the 5% squalene and Roidex groups, respectively. The tumor regression study involved the selection of mice with tumors and possible regression of these tumors with Roidex treatment. There was a regression of 33.34% of the tumors in the Roidex-treated group (39 tumors to 26 tumors) compared to the non-treated group whose tumors regressed only 3.44% (29 tumors to 28 tumors).