Original Research Article
Year: 2015 | Month: September | Volume: 5 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 273-282
Study on the Anticarcinogenic Efficacy of Withaferin-A in DEN Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Morphology and Histopathology
Sivalingam Murugan1, Ameesh Madhusoodanan Nair2, Shilpa Shankar2, Vishal Babu3
1Assistant Professor, 2Tutor, 3Associate Professor,
Dept.of Biochemistry, Govt. Medical College, Palakkad, Kerala, India.
Corresponding Author: Sivalingam Murugan
ABSTRACT
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and the burden of this devastating cancer is expect to increase further in coming years, due to late diagnosis, lack of definitive treatment and poor prognosis. In their context, we need to find out a new compound that will improve the overall prognosis of HCC. In this regard, naturally occurring polyphenols are receiving increased attention because of their promising efficacy in several cancer models. A large amount of data have indicated the therapeutic benefits of Withaferin-A against cancer. However, it remains unclear whether these benefits are similar and equally effective both in prevention and in treatment of HCC.
Aim: To evaluate the anticancer property of Withaferin-A against hepatocellular carcinoma in experimental rats.
Materials and Methods: For the experiment, rats were divided into different groups and treated with Withaferin-A either from day 1 of DEN administration for 21 days (pre-HCC), or after the development of HCC, i.e., 12-15 weeks after DEN administration (post-HCC), and compared with untreated HCC-bearing rats.
Results: Decreased level of serum tumor marker α-fetoprotein along with the marked difference in morphology and histology of the treated HCC compared with untreated HCC bearing rats demonstrates the suppressive effect of Withaferin-A against cancer.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that the administration of Withaferin-A is effective in experimental rats for the prevention and treatment of HCC.
Key words: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Histopathology, DEN, AFP, Withaferin-A.