Abstract

Metastasis is the major impediment to successful eradication of cancer. Therefore, development of antimetastatic agents is of prime importance. The present investigation is a modest step in that direction. Nicotinic acid is one of the products of nicotinamide hydrolysis by proteases and has been shown along with the parent compound (nicotinamide) to possess anticarcinogenic property. Therefore, it was interesting to find out whether it had any antimetastatic properties also. These studies have been done in a well standardised experimental metastasis model viz. B16F10 melanoma. Our results clearly demonstrates that at a dose level of 150 mg/kg on 1 through 9 schedule, there was a significant decrease in lung metastasis. Considering the fact that nicotinic acid is a dietary constituent related to vit. B3 (nicotinamide), these results suggest that nicotinic acid could be used as an antimetastatic agent along with cytotoxic anticancer drug treatment in the therapy of human cancers.