Preclinical Determination of the Anticancer Activity of Rohituka (Aphanamixis polystachya) in Ehrlich Ascites Tumor-Bearing Mice

Anticancer activity of various doses of alcoholic extract of rohituka, Aphanamixis polystachya (APE) was studied in mice transplanted with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). Administration of 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25 or 1.5 g/Kg body weight APE once daily for consecutive 9 days resulted in a dose dependent regression in the tumor mass and increase in tumor-free survivors. The greatest anticancer activity was observed for 1 g/Kg APE as is evident by a maximum number of tumor-free survivors by 120 days post APE administration. Administrations of split dose of 0.5 g/Kg APE twice daily for nine consecutive days resulted in a greater number of tumor free-survivors than the single administration of 1 g/Kg APE concomitantly or 1 mg/Kg doxorubicin (positive control). The stage specific evaluation revealed that APE treatment was effective in regressing the tumors at all the stages and the most pronounced effect was observed up to stage III that lessened when the APE was administered during late stages of tumor development. Biochemical estimation revealed that APE administration increased lipid peroxidation by two folds accompanied by a two-fold decline in the glutathione contents at 8 h postAPE treatment. Similarly, APE treatment reduced the activities of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase at 8 h by 2.1, 2.3, 2, and 3.5 folds, respectively. Our study indicates that APE treatment caused a dose dependent retardation in the tumor mass and regressed tumors even in the late stages of tumor development, which may be due to increased lipid peroxidation and reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________