Chemoprevention by Euphorbia Neriifolia of DENA-induced Mouse Renal Carcinogenesis

Kidney cancer is the third most common malignancy of the genitourinary system account for 2 to 3 % of all cancers in men worldwide, with 130,000 new cases and 63,000 deaths from the disease occurring annually (Ferlay et al., 2004). Certain toxic chemicals and medicines can cause renal damage, are recognized as a toxicological problem. NNitrosodiethylamine (DENA) is the most important environmental carcinogen among the nitrosamines (Thirunavukkarasu and Sakthisekaran, 2001). DENA has been suggested to cause oxidative stress and cellular injury due to involvement of free radicals (Noguchi et al., 2000). Lipid peroxidation and associated membrane damage are key features of DENAinduced carcinogenesis (Anis et al., 2001). The antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase protect membrane and cytosolic components against damage caused by free radicals during carcinogenesis (Banakar et al., 2004). There are reports that oxygen free radicals and related lipid peroxides play a key role in the protection against exogenous oxidative stress and pathogenesis of age-related chronic degenerative diseases (Marklund and Marklund, 1974). Thus, antioxidants are expected to decrease the vulnerability of the kidney to oxidative challenges. Considerable experimental evidence has