Anticarcinogenic activity of alpha-difluoromethylornithine, ginseng, eleutherococcus, and leuzea on radiation-induced carcinogenesis in female rats

Abstract

Purpose: To carry out a comparative study of inhibition of radiation carcinogenesis using alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), tinctures of ginseng, eleutherococcus and leuzea in female rats.

Materials and methods: Locally bred female LIO-strain rats were subjected to a single whole body γ-irradiation dose of 4 Gy at 12 weeks of age. Modifying drugs were given with drinking water from the 10th day after irradiation until the end of the experiment (for 16 months).

Results: Irradiated rats developed tumors 70.0–79.6% (malignant tumors: 43.7–45.0%) with a multiplicity of 1.48–1.75 (malignant: 0.5–0.58), while in unirradiated animals the incidence of all/malignant tumors was 21.9%/7.7% with multiplicity of 0.22/0.08. In exposed rats tumors most often developed in the mammary gland – 57.3%, reproductive and endocrine organs – 27.2%, and other localizations – 29.1%. All drugs, except leuzea, significantly reduced incidence and multiplicity of tumors, overall or at some localizations in irradiated rats. Highest, and practically equal inhibition, was shown by ginseng and DFMO, while eleutherococcus was clearly inferior. Ginseng reduced overall tumor incidence and multiplicity by 1.5 and 2.4 times, malignant tumor incidence and multiplicity – by 2.5 and 2.9 times, respectively.

Conclusions: The ginseng extract is the most promising radiation carcinogenesis inhibitor tested.

Keywords::

• Radiation carcinogenesis
• cancer chemoprevention
• alpha-difluoromethylornithine
• ginseng
• eleutherococcus
• leuzea

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

The work was supported partially by grant from the fund ‘Technologies. Introduction. Science’, Saint Petersburg, Russia, project No. 16939/6.