Anticarcinogenic effect of Nymphaea alba against oxidative damage, hyperproliferative response and renal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats

Abstract

The present study investigates the prophylactic effect of Nymphaea alba against ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA)-induced renal oxidative stress, hyperproliferative response and renal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. Treatment with Fe-NTA (9 mg Fe/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) enhanced iron-ascorbate-induced renal lipid peroxidation, xanthine oxidase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation with reduction in renal glutathione content, antioxidant enzymes, viz., glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phase-II metabolising enzymes such as glutathione-S-transferase and quinone reductase. It also elevated the levels of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and thymidine [3H] incorporation into renal DNA. It also enhanced DEN-initiated renal carcinogenesis by increasing the percentage incidence of renal tumors. Treatment of rats orally with N. alba (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) resulted in significant decrease in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, lipid peroxidation, xanthine oxidase, H2O2 generation, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, renal ODC activity, DNA synthesis (p < 0.001) and incidence of tumors. Renal glutathione content (p < 0.01), glutathione metabolizing enzymes (p < 0.001) and antioxidant enzymes were also recovered to significant level (p < 0.001). Thus, our results show that N. alba is a potent chemopreventive agent and suppresses Fe-NTA-induced oxidative stress, hyperproliferative response and renal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats.