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Protective potentials of a potentized homeopathic drug, Lycopodium-30, in ameliorating azo dye induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice

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Abstract

The protective potentials of a potentized homeopathic drug, Lycopodium-30, prepared from extract of spores of a plant, Lyocopodium clavatum (Fam: Lycopodiaceae) and used as a remedy for various liver ailments, have been tested in mice chronically fed p-dimethyl amino azo benzene (p-DAB) – an initiator, and phenobarbital (PB) – a promoter of hepatic cancer, by using some cytogenetic endpoints like chromosome aberrations (CA), micronuclei (MN), mitotic index (MI) and sperm head abnormality (SHA), and toxicity biomarkers like acid and alkaline phosphatases (AcP and AlkP, respectively), alanine and aspartate amino transferases (ALT and AST, respectively) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) and reduced glutathione (GSH) activities. The effects of chronic treatment of the carcinogens were assessed at different intervals of fixation, namely, at day 7, 15, 30, 60, 90 and day 120, and compared with that of mice fed conjointly with the carcinogens and the homeopathic remedy. Both the assay systems indicated considerable protective potentials of the homeopathic remedy against p-DAB induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice.

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Abbreviations

DNA:

deoxyribonucleic acid

p-DAB:

p-dimethyl amino azo benzene

PB:

Phenobarbital

CA:

chromosome aberrations

MN:

micronuclei

MI:

mitotic index

SHA:

sperm head abnormality

AcP:

acid phosphatases

AlkP:

alkaline phosphatases

ALT:

alanine amino transferases

AST:

aspartate amino transferases

LPO:

lipid peroxidation

GSH:

reduced glutathione

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

DTNB:

5,5′-Dithiobis (2 nitro benzoic acid)

AAB:

Aminoazo benzene

MAB:

Mono aminoazo benzene

CAM:

Complimentary & Alternative Medicine

DNPH:

2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741235, West Bengal, India

    Surajit Pathak, Jayanta Kumar Das, Surjyo Jyoti Biswas & Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh

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  1. Surajit Pathak
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  2. Jayanta Kumar Das
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  3. Surjyo Jyoti Biswas
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  4. Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh
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Correspondence to Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh.

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Pathak, S., Kumar Das, J., Jyoti Biswas, S. et al. Protective potentials of a potentized homeopathic drug, Lycopodium-30, in ameliorating azo dye induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Mol Cell Biochem 285, 121–131 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-005-9065-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-005-9065-7

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