Positive Health Online

Abstract

MOTOHASHI and co-workers, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1 Noshio, Kiyose-shi, Tokyo 204-8588, Japan, motohashi@my-pharm.ac.jp, have studied kiwi fruit extracts in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Background

According to Chinese tradition, kiwi fruit is both a preventative and therapeutic agent against cancer.

Methodology

Kiwi gold fruit were extracted successively with hexane, acetone, methanol, and 70% methanol, and further fractionated chromatographically on silica gel. These fractions were then used for bioassays.

Results

Five fractions (2 fractions of the hexane extract, 2 fractions of the acetone extract, and a fraction of the methanol extract) showed selective cytotoxic activity against human oral tumour cell lines. Several fractions of the 70% methanol extract showed anti-HIV activity, inhibited free radical generation and acted as radical scavengers. All fractions showed some antimicrobial activity, with more lipophilic fractions generally more active, although none of the fractions were active against Helicobacter pylori.

Conclusion

Gold kiwi fruit contains various valuable bioactive materials which can be separated from each other.

References

Motohashi N, Shirataki Y, Kawase M, Tani S, Sakagami H, Satoh K, Kurihara T, Nakashima H, Mucsi I, Varga A, Molnar J. Cancer orevention and therapy with kiwifruit in Chinese folklore medicine: a study of kiwifruit extracts. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 81 (3): 357-364, Aug 2002.