The aim of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of
curcumin and
quercetin in modulating ultrastructural changes during lung
carcinogenesis. A total of 24 male laka mice were divided into the normal control,
benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-treated, BP+curcumin-treated, BP+quercetin- treated, and BP+
curcumin+
quercetin-treated groups (n=6 per group). Lung
carcinogenesis was induced by a single
intraperitoneal injection of
BP [100 mg/kg of
body weight (b.wt.)].
Curcumin was supplemented to mice at a dose level of 60 mg/kg of b.wt. in
drinking water and
quercetin was given at a dose level of 40 mg/kg of b.wt. in
drinking water. The ultrastructure of BP-treated mice revealed disruptions in cellular integrity together with nuclear deformation and premature mitochondrial aging. Notably, supplementation with
phytochemicals individually resulted in improvement of the ultra-histoarchitecture of BP-treated mice although the improvement was much greater with combined supplementation of
phytochemicals. Furthermore, BP treatment revealed alterations in lung histoarchitecture, which, however, were improved appreciably following combined supplementation with
curcumin and
quercetin. The results of the present study show that, combined supplementation with
curcumin and
quercetin effectively preserved the histoarchitecture as well as ultra-histoarchitecture during BP-induced lung
carcinogenesis in mice.