Antitumorous activity of alpha‐bisabolol against pancreatic cancer

Objective A selective cytotoxic activity of (−)‐α‐bisabolol has been reported against some human malignant cell lines. We investigated the efficacy of (−)‐α‐bisabolol for human pancreatic cancer. Methods In vitro ; Trypan blue assay and MTT assay were performed to evaluate the effect of (−)‐α‐bisabolol on pancreatic cancer cell viability. In vivo ; Intragastric administration of (−)‐α‐bisabolol was performed using subcutaneous xenograft models and peritoneal dissemination models of nude mice. Results (−)‐α‐bisabolol induced a decrease in cell viability in pancreatic cancer cell lines (KLM1, KP4, Panc1, MIAPaca2), but not in normal pancreatic cell line (RI515). The growth of tumors both in subcutaneous xenograft models and peritoneal dissemination models was significantly inhibited by intragastric administration of (−)‐α‐bisabolol. No severe side effects were observed in these two models. Conclusion (−)‐α‐bisabolol showed an antitumorous effect on human pancreatic cancer cell lines both in vitro and in vivo experiments. (−)‐α‐bisabolol could be a novel antitumorous drug for pancreatic cancer.