Concanavalin A (NSC-143504): its action on experimental tumor cells and possible use in cancer chemotherapy

Concanavalin A administered to mice kills KHT fibrosarcoma tumor cells and, less markedly, AKR lymphoma cells at doses where it has no effect on numbers of normal hematopoietic colony-forming cells. Concanavalin A in vitro agglutinates suspensions of cells prepared from murine and human tumors but does not agglutinate suspensions prepared from most normal mouse tissues. In spite of its selective action against tumor cells at the cellular level, the possibilities for using concanavalin A therapeutically are limited by its unusual toxicity, a generalized vasculitis that is seen in the mouse, monkey, and pig at approximately the same dose level.