Protective Effects of Tomato Juice on Mouse Skin Carcinogenesis.
The anticarcinogenic effect of tomato juice, a natural source of antioxidants and other chemopreventive / antimutagenic agents, was studied in a skin carcinogenesis model in mice. The possible mode of action was also investigated. Oral administration of tomato juice afforded protection from development of skin tumour and increased life expectancy which may be attributed to the combined action of a number of chemical compounds with cancer chemopreventive properties present in tomato. The protective role may be associated with a decreased level of lipid peroxides noted in the tomato treated group and modulation of host detoxification enzymes. Exposure to the carcinogen resulted in a depression of the liver enzymes- glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Oral administration of tomato juice resulted in significant activation of all these enzymes (p<0.001). These results suggest a preventive role of tomato juice during carcinogenesis which is mediated possibly by their modulatory effects on biotransformation enzymes and the detoxification system of the host.
De
Sarmishtha
S
Dept. of Cancer Chemoprevention, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Calcutta- 7000 26, India sukta2001@rediffmail.com
Das
Sukta
S