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Abstract

Chemoprevention is the novel approach that inhibits and delays or reverses the process of cancer development by using natural herbs and plant products. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of orally administered Capparis decidua fruit extract (CDE) on skin carcinogenesis model in swiss albino mice by the single topical application of the 7,12 dimethylbenz (a)anthracene (100µg/100µl of acetone) followed by croton oil after 2 weeks (1% in acetone/thrice in a week). Oral administration of the CDE at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.wt./day during the peri initiation stage (one week before DMBA and one week after the application followed by croton oil till the end of the experiment) and post-initiation stage (after 2 weeks DMBA application, from the day of croton oil treatment till the end of the experiment). A significant reduction in the tumor incidence, tumor burden, and a cumulative number of papillomas was observed, along with the increase in the average latent period in mice treated with CDE drugs compared with DMBA/croton oil-treated group III. A significant elevation was seen in the level of the non-enzymatic antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH), antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase with a reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the liver and skin of the mice in both the above-mentioned groups in comparison to DMBA+ croton oil-treated group. The results clearly indicate that the CDE has potent chemopreventive efficacy against two-stage skin carcinogenesis, which can be attributed to its antioxidative and antiperoxidative effects. INTRODUCTION: Cancer is one of the most important causes of death in the population after cardiovascular diseases. It is the second leading cause of death in developed countries. Cancer is not a single disease but is a group of many different diseases that all share biological and pathological characteristics.