Diss Abstracts International  [B] (1995) 55(8):3242  

Chlorophyllin anticarcinogenesis in the rainbow trout model.
Breinholt V
Oregon State Univ.

ABSTRACT (5)
Chlorophyllin (CHL), a derivative of the green plant pigment chlorophyll, was found to be a potent inhibitor of  hepatocarcinogenesis induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the only accepted dietary human carcinogen (IARC Monograph, 1993). At a dietary level of 1400 ppm, a fraction of the chlorophyll content of  typical spinach cultivars, CHL provided up to 70% protection against tumorigenesis in the rainbow trout model. Molecular dosimetry analyses revealed that CHL-mediated reduction in target organ AFB1-  DNA adduction completely accounted for the decrease in tumor  incidence at lower CHL doses, whereas at the highest level of CHL  tested the inhibition of AFB1-DNA binding was less than 50% of the  observed tumor reduction. This result indicates that CHL exhibits  other protective mechanisms in addition to inhibiting target organ  DNA damage....  As previously mentioned, our tumor study showed anti-initiating mechanisms in addition to those involved in carcinogen-DNA binding. One such protective  mechanism may involve mito-suppression, which would function non-specifically toward most carcinogens. This proposed cancer protective mechanism, along with the ability of CHL to protect against carcinogenesis via complex formation, would provide protection against a wide range of both environmental and dietary carcinogens.  Because of the abundance of chlorophyll in the human diet, it is suggested that this compound might be an important contributing factor to the observed cancer preventive activities associated with a  high intake of vegetables and fruits.

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