Apoptosis associated inhibition of DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis by ellagic acid in experimental rats

Ellagic acid (EA), a natural polyphenol, has showed a wide variety of biological activities which make it a good candidate for the treatment of many oxidative stress-mediated diseases. The present study is aimed to evaluate its therapeutic potential by estimating the levels of lipid peroxidation and assaying activities of various marker enzymes in DEN-induced liver cancer bearing rats. The daily oral administration of EA (30 mg/kg bwt) to liver cancer bearing rats demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) decline in lipid peroxidation, key marker enzyme (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, γ-GT and 5′NT) levels and increase in enzymic antioxidants (SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST) status. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis suggesting that maintenance of cell structure and integrity and also modulation of nucleic acids thereby exhibiting anticancer potential of EA in liver cancer bearing rats. Further, EA administration attenuated the agryophillic nucleolar organizing regions (AgNORs) and increases cell death execution through the activation of Caspase-3. Thus, the modulatory effects of EA on attenuating the lipid peroxidation, AgNORs, and downregulation of key marker enzyme activities and upregulation of total protein content, enzymic antioxidants, and caspase-3 afford an assurance for treatment of liver cancer in the future.