Chemoprotective Effect of Tribulus terrestris on DMBA/Croton Oil Mediated Carcinogenic Response

Chemoprevention is an important strategy to control the process of carcinogenesis. The potential of using medicinal herbs as cancer chemopreventive nutraceuticals and functional food is promising. There has been a growing awareness in recent years that dietary non-nutrient compounds can have important effects as chemopreventive agents and considerable work on the cancer chemopreventive effects of such compounds in animal models has been undertaken. Tribulus terrestris is a well known medicinal plant which has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as hepatoprotective, antiviral, antibacterial, analgesic.The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of a hydro-alcoholic extract of the fruits on the two stage process of skin carcinogenesis. Tribulus terrestris fruit extracts against 7, 12 dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA) induced papillomagenesis in Swiss albino mice was studied. The successively extracted fruit of T.treresstris with hydromethanolic and aqueous was analyzed for their toxicity and chemopreventive activity. In chemopreventive activity was evaluated by two stage protocol consisting of initiation with a single topical application of a carcinogen (7, 12 dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA) followed by a promoter (croton oil) two times in a week were employed. A significant reduction in tumor incidence, tumor burden and cumulative number of papillomas was observed, along with a significant increase in average latent period in mice treated tropically with Tribulus terrestris fruit extract as compared to the control group treated with DMBA and croton oil alone. Significant elevation in the levels of catalase and reduced glutathione (p<0.05) was noted in the group treated Tribulus terrestris fruit extracts in comparison with the negative control group.Conversely, lipid peroxidation levels were significantly decreased (P<0.05). The results thus suggest that Tribulus terrestris extract exhibits significant anti-tumor activity, which supports the traditional medicinal utilization of this plant. Therefore, the present study is immensely important in future drug development programs for the cancer treatment.