Enhancement of Anticancer Activities of Kimchi by Manipulating Ingredients

To enhance the antitumor activity of Chinese cabbage kimchi, four kinds of kimchi, which ere differently prepared in kinds and levels of sub-ingredients, were fermented at 15$^{\circ}C$ for 1 day and then at 5$^{\circ}C$ up to pH 4.3. The solid tumor formation, hepatic glutathione S-transferase activity and glutathione contents in the liver, and natural killer (NK) cell activity of spleen were determined from the sarcoma-180 cell injected Balb/c mice that were treated with methanol extracts of the kimchi samples. Kimchi IV, prepared with organically cultivated Chinese cabbage, red pepper powder, garlic, Chinese pepper powder mustard leaf and heat processed salt (Gueun salt), reduced the tumor formation by 39.3% compared to the sarcoma-180 cell treated group, resulting in the smallest tumor weight. Methanol extracts of the kimchi III and kimchi IV recovered the activities of hepatic glutathione S-transferase(GST) that was decreased by the transplantation of the sarcoma-180 cells to th mice. The injections of methanol extracts of kimchi II and kimchi IV increased glutathione contents in sarcoma-180 cells treated mice. The methanol extract of kimchi IV increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity of spleen lymphocytes a more effectively (p<0.05) than those the other kimchi samples. These results suggest that the anticancer activities of kimchi can be increased by changing the kinds and levels of sub-ingredients.