Inhibition of cell proliferation, cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis of 1,4-bis(1-naphthyl)-2,3-dinitro-1,3-butadiene in gastrointestinal tumour cell lines and preliminary evaluation of its toxicity in vivo

In conclusion, our preclinical studies in vitro suggest that Naph-DNB may represent a good anticancer compound for the treatment of generally unresponsive tumours such as those of pancreas, stomach and colon. Moreover, the analysis of its toxic effects has allowed the definition of LD and MTD parameters, which will be used in further experiments in vivo for the definition of its antitumour activity.