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ABSTRACT
The present study was aimed at investigating the modulatory effects of folic acid (FA) on early stages of chemically induced skin cancer. For this, a two-stage model of skin tumorigenesis was employed. 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA, 500 nmol/100 ul of acetone) was applied topically for two weeks (twice weekly), followed by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA, 1.7 nmol/100 ul) twice weekly for six weeks on the depilated skin of mice, and FA was administered orally at a dose of 40 microgram/animal for 10 weeks daily. Balb/c mice were divided into four groups depending upon the treatment they received (control, DMBA/TPA, FA, and FA+DMBA/TPA). DMBA/TPA treatment led to the formation of papillomas in DMBA/TPA and FA+DMBA/TPA groups. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), epidermal thickness, and cell count were evaluated to assess the beneficial effects in the early stages. FA exhibited its ameliorative potential as indicated by decreased epidermal thickness and cell count in FA+DMBA/TPA group when compared to DMBA/TPA group. Concomitantly, FA decreased the expression of ODC and PCNA in skin and activity of serum lactate dehydrogenase, suggesting inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and cell damage. Differential modulation in lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione was observed in response to DMBA/TPA treatment and its intervention with FA. Although these findings suggest the inhibitory potential of FA during initial stages of murine skin cancer, detailed studies are warranted considering the ambiguous reports available in literature regarding the association of FA and cancer.
Declaration of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
About the authors
Ashwani Koul, PhD, is a professor at Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He received his doctorate from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. He has long been involved in exploring the modulatory effects of phyto-products and nutraceuticals in various cancer and toxicity models.
Navneet Kaur, MSc, is presently working in an organization dealing with pharmacovigilance. She received her master's degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Neha Arora Chugh, PhD, is a research associate at Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. She received her doctorate from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Her research interests include chemical carcinogenesis and its chemoprevention.