Depletion of Dietary Arginine Inhibits Growth of Metastatic Tumor

Abstract

• The effects of dietary arginine on the growth of a murine colon tumor metastatic to the liver were examined in a model of advanced neoplastic disease. Tumor growth was influenced by arginine both in vivo and in vitro. An arginine-supplemented diet stimulated tumor growth by 55% compared with controls. Conversely, an argininedepleted diet inhibited tumor growth by 78% compared with controls. In vitro culture of both murine and human colon tumor cells confirmed that arginine was necessary for cell growth. Flow-cytometric analysis using propidium iodide and bromodeoxyuridine suggested that colon tumor cells cultured without arginine enter a quiescent S phase and depend on arginine for further growth and cell cycle progression. The potential roles for selective dietary arginine modulation in patients with cancer with advanced disease are discussed. (Arch Surg. 1991;126:1376-1382)