Prophylactic effects of Cynara scolymus L. leaf and flower hydroethanolic extracts against diethylnitrosamine/acetylaminoflourene-induced lung cancer in Wistar rats

The study examines the prophylactic action of artichoke leaf hydroethanolic extract (ALE) and artichoke flower head hydroethanolic extract (AFE) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/acetylaminofluorene (AAF)-induced lung cancer in Wistar rats. To chemically induce lung cancer, DEN was injected intraperitoneally twice a week for a fortnight at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w.), followed by oral supplementation of AAF four times a week for 3 weeks at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.w. The DEN/AAF-administered rats were orally supplemented with ALE or AFE at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w. for 17 weeks starting from the 1st week of DEN injection to the 17th week of the experiment. The lung cancerous injuries resulting from DEN/AAF-administration were significantly improved by the treatment with ALE and AFE as observed in histological examination. In addition, there was a significant reduction in lung lipid peroxidation, with resultant elevation in antioxidant enzymatic activity of glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and superoxide dismutase as well as glutathione content in DEN/AAF-supplemented rats treated with ALE and AFE as compared to DEN/AAF-administered control. The lung tumor suppressor protein (p53) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) mRNA expression significantly increased in the rats treated with ALE and AFE. In conclusion, the finding showed that ALE and AFE produced anti-cancer prophylactic effects against DEN/AAF-induced lung cancer in rats via suppression of oxidative stress and improved apoptotic signal induction.