Effect of Garlic and Red Clover extracts on adenosine deaminase enzyme activities in cancerous and non-cancerous human liver tissues

Possible effects of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum Linn.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense Linn.) extracts on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities were investigated in cancerous and non-cancerous human liver tissues and results were compared with those of Fludarabine, a known ADA inhibitor. Ten cancerous and 10 non-cancerous adjacent liver tissues were obtained from patients with metastatic type liver cancer by surgical operations. Kinetic analyses were carried out to establish Vmax and Km values of the reaction catalyzed by ADA in the presence or absence of inhibitor. ADA activity was found to be lower in the cancerous tissues compared with non-cancerous tissues. Aqueous garlic and red clover extracts induced significant inhibition ADA activity in both the tissues. Inhibition percentage was relatively higher in the cancerous tissues as compared with non-cancerous tissues. Furthermore, we observed that inhibition percentage induced by garlic and red clover extracts were higher than those of Fludarabine at the concentrations studied.