Antiproliferative activity of Zanthoxylum tetraspermum W.A. stem bark extract against Breast carcinoma in mice

Breast carcinoma is a heterogeneous complex disease thought to occur via a multistep process, which despite improvements in surgery and the use of adjuvant therapy, continues to be fatal in many patients. Metastatic disease is the most common cause of breast cancer death. The genus Zanthoxylum is used as mouth fresh, tooth care, spice and possesses several types of biological activities. Zanthoxylum tetraspermum (Wight & Arn.) belongs to the family“Rutaceae” possesses some biological activities. In the present study antiproliferative activity of Z. tetraspermum W.A. stem bark extract has been evaluated against N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) induced breast carcinoma in mice. Biochemical estimations like Lipid peroxidation, enzymic antioxidants and non enzymic antioxidants activity done in the liver and kidney tissue homogenate were restored after treatment with hydroethanolic stem bark extract of Z. tetraspermum. Comparison of normal mice, mice administered only with stem bark extract and mice administered with 5-Fluoro Uracil (5-FU) as positive drug control group showed no significant variations in these enzyme activities. The antiproliferative activity of Z. tetraspermum stem bark extract was studied using breast cancer cell lines and measured by MTT assay. From these findings it is reported that the hydroethanolic stem bark extract of the plant has shown good inhibition on lipid peroxidation and proliferation which indicated the antitumor activity of the plant extract in in vivo model against MNU induced breast carcinoma in mice.