Therapeutic effect of Astragalus Ovinus against DMBA- induced oxidative stress with reference to breast cancer in rats

Introduction : Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the initiation and progression of carcinogenesis. The ROS-induced oxidative damage causes a decrease in the efficiency of antioxidant defense mechanism. Proper balance between lipid peroxidation and antioxidants should be maintained in the cell because of their potential importance in the pathogenesis of various diseases including cancer. Many plant extracts and products in particular Astragalus genus from the Fabaceae family are good sources of natural antioxidants that act as radical scavengers inhibiting malondialdehyde (MDA), the end product of lipid peroxidation and other free radical-mediated processes. Aim: Evaluate the effect of Astragalus Ovinus (A.Ovinus) extract on serum MDA and catalase (CAT) levels. Material and Methods: At 50-55 days of age, the rats in three groups were given a single dose of DMBA (40 mg/kg) dissolved in olive oil by gavage. Rats in group 1 (control) received no further treatment. Animals in groups III and IVreceived in addition, oral administration of A.Ovinus (120 and 240 mg/kg bw), respectively, daily for one month. Serum MDA and CAT activity was assayed according to the methods of Hoyland (1991) and Aebi (1984),respectively. Results: Serum levels of MDA in tumor-bearing animals in DMBA group show a significant increase when compareto control whiles these levels were decreased significantly in treatment groups III and IV when compared with DMBA group. Serum level of CAT in DMBA group was significantly lower than control that treatment with A.Ovinus at two doses provided significant elevate as when compared with DMBA. Conclusion: The results imply that A.Ovinus shows antioxidant activity and provide therapeutic effect against DMBA-induced oxidative stress in breast cancer.

کلیدواژه ها:

breast cancer ، DMBA ، oxidative stress ، Astragalus Ovinus ، rats