Efficacy of black garlic extract on anti-tumor and anti-oxidant activity enhancement in rats
Sarah Ahmed Al-Shehri
Abstract
Summary: Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of oral administration of aqueous aged garlic extract (AGE) on the anti-tumor activity of diethylnitrosoamine (DEN)-induced hepatocarcinogenic rats for 7 weeks. Methods: Forty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 9) as follows: Groups A (control); B (DEN-group) received a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of DEN and a dose of and Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) two weeks later; C, D, and E received the same carcinogenesis protocol as B plus AGE oral doses 150, 300, and 600 mg/Kg/d, respectively, for 7 weeks. Liver function tests (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), and serum and liver glutathione reductase (GR) activity, and serum Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) were measured. Results: The present study revealed that administration of AGE doses 300 mg/Kg/d (group D) and 600 mg/Kg/d group (E), for 7 weeks, significantly (p < 0.01) decreased liver weight, relative to that in group B, with significantly decreased (p < 0.01) serum ALT, AST, and TBIL levels. It also showed that AGE improved liver and serum GR activity levels and serum TEAC levels than in group B. Conclusion: This finding suggests that AGE has remarkable hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects in DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenic rats. Further studies are needed to demonstrate effective various doses of AGE in human. The mechanisms underlying the active principle responsible for the anti-tumor activity and need to be elucidated in future studies.