Chemopreventive Action of Ocimum sanctum on 2,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene DMBA-Induced Papillomagenesis in the Skin of Mice

Abstract

AbstractThe present paper reports the chemopreventive activity of an ethanol leaf extract of Ocimum sanctum on DMBA-induced papillomagenesis in the skin of male Swiss albino mice. A single topical application of DMBA (50 μg/50 μl of acetone) followed, 2 weeks later, by repeated applications of croton oil (1% in acetone, three times/week) resulted in the appearance of skin papillomas in 100% of the animals. However, treatment of the animals with an ethanol leaf extract of Ocimum (800 mg/Kg body weight) through gastric intubation, significantly reduced not only the number of tumor-bearing mice but also the cumulative number of papillomas and the mean number of tumors per mouse. Oral treatment with the Ocimum leaf extract for 15 days resulted in significant elevation of glutathione S-transferase activity in hepatic (P<0.01) and extrahepatic (P<0.01) tissues. Reduced glutathione level was also elevated by treatment with the leaf extract in liver, lung and stomach tissues.