Abstract: Objective To explore a new method evaluating the anti-tumor immunological effects of arctigenin in SD rats and ICR mice. Methods SD rats were treated with arctigenin subcutaneously. Simultaneously, the rats were immunized with human tumor cells by intraperitoneal injection every 3 days. Immunized for 3 times, rats were kept on treating with arctigenin for another week. Then after 4 days, white cells and serum of rats were harvested and co-cultured with human tumor cells. Content of lactic dehydrogenase in the supernatant was detected. H₂₂TCL was prepared from H₂₂ melanoma cells by freezing-thaw. ICR mice were randomly divided into 6 groups and administrated with arctigenin for 10 days. On day 1、4 and 7, mice were injected intraperitoneally with H₂₂TCL. On day 10, H₂₂ cells were injected to the right flank of mice. On the twentieth day, the incidence of tumor in mice were monitored. Results Arctigenin and ginsenoside Rg3 can enhance LDH releasing. Arctigenin can reduce the incidence of mice bearing H₂₂ tumor. Conclusion We explore a new simple way to evaluate effects of antitumor drugs on immune system, and arctiin reduced the incidence of tumor in mice, thus confirming the effects of arctiene aglycone on the body's immune system and improving the animal's anti-tumor immunity; arctigenin can improve the immune response to suppress tumor cells.

Key words: arctigenin, anti tumor immunity, ginsenoside Rg₃, lactate dehydrogenase, immune serum, white cells