Abstract: Purpose : To study the inhibitive effects of green asparagus juice and extracts on nucleic acid biosynthesis of mouse sarcoma S180 cell and mouse Ehrlich ascitic tumour cell. Methods:The inhibition rates of the nucleic acid biosynthesis in tumour cells were investigated with 3H-TdR and 3H-UR incorporation DNA and RNA， respectively. Results:As treated with different doses of the juice and alcohol extracts of green asparagus (20，40，80，160 mg/ml), the inhibitive rates of S180 DNA were 20.40 ％，52.19 ％，56.90 ％，77.11 ％ for the juice and 53.25 ％ ， 76.86 ％ ， 88.86 ％ ， 94.62 ％ for the alcohol axtracts . The inhibitive rates of S180 RNA were 24.70 ％，41.53 ％，76.06 ％，85.72 ％ for the juice and 60.17 ％，80.90 ％，94.08 ％，97.26 ％ for the alcohol axtracts； the inhibitive rates of EAC DNA were 5.16 ％，13.00 ％，31.44 ％，57.09 ％ for the juice and 20.56 ％，43.02 ％，58.55 ％，75.99 ％ for the alcohol axtracts；the inhibitive rates of EAC RNA were 10.52 ％，23.04 ％，45.60 ％，68.39 ％ for the juice and 13.37 ％，32.60 ％，59.70 ％，81.85 ％ for the alcohol axtracts respectively . Conclusion:The juice and the alcohol extracts of green asparagus all could induce the significanly inhibit the biosynthesis of DNA and RNA in tumour cells, and the inhibition was enhanced with the increase of the concentration of the juice and extracts .The results showed that the inhibition effect of alcohol extracts was obviously greater than that of the juice within a concentration range of 20 to 160 mg/ml.

Key words: green asparagus, mouse sarcoma S180 cell, mouse Ehrlich ascitic tumour cell, biosynthesis of DNA and RNA