1987 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 267-272
The liquid from heat treatment of the well-known scallop Patinopecten yessoensis which would normally be discarded as waste has been found to contain a new glycoprotein antineoplastic agent. The fraction composed of 16.8% carbohydrate, 64.5% protein, 2.7% lipid, and 1% nucleic acid exhibited strong antitumor activity. We studied the effects of this fraction on the in vivo growth of tumors. It inhibited tumor growth when injected locally or systematically. Inhibition was not due to direct toxic effects but probably to stimulation of host-mediated responses.