ABSTRACT In the present study, we report the chemopreventive effects of Adhatoda vasica against
ferric nitrilotriacetate (
Fe-NTA)-induced renal oxidative stress, hyperproliferative response, and two-stage renal
carcinogenesis.
Fe-NTA (9 mg Fe/kg
body weight, intraperitoneally) enhances renal lipid peroxidation,
xanthine oxidase (XO), and
hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) generation with concomitant reduction in renal
glutathione content (GSH),
antioxidant enzymes, and phase II metabolizing
enzymes. It induces blood
urea nitrogen, serum
creatinine,
ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, and [(3)H]
thymidine incorporation into renal
DNA. It also enhances DEN (N-
diethylnitrosamine)-initiated renal
carcinogenesis by increasing the percentage incidences of kidney
tumors. Pretreatment of rats orally with A. vasica (50 and 100 mg/kg
body weight) resulted in a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation, H(2)O(2) generation,
xanthine oxidase (XO), blood
urea nitrogen, serum
creatinine, renal ODC activity,
DNA synthesis (p < 0.001), and incidence of
tumors. Renal GSH (p < 0.01),
glutathione-metabolizing
enzymes (p < 0.001), and
antioxidant enzymes were also recovered significantly (p < 0.001). Thus, our results show that A. vasica may meet the criteria demanded from a chemopreventive agent and in a rodent system it can reduce hyperproliferative response toxicity and carcinogenic activity of
Fe-NTA.