The Role of Antioxidant Hesperidin in the Attenuation of Lung Cancer Caused by Benzo[a]pyrene in Balb/c Mice

Abstract

It was postulated that chemoprevention is one of the most promising and realistic approaches in the prevention of cancer. Hesperidin (HDN) is one such naturally occurring flavonoid widely found in citrus fruits. The aim of the present study is to divulge the chemopreventive nature of HDN during benzo[a]pyrene (b[a]p) induced lung cancer in BALB/c mice. Administration of b[a]p (60 mg/kg body weight) to mice resulted in increased lipid peroxidation (LPO), lung specific tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and serum marker enzymes aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), alanine transaminase (ALT), with concomitant decrease in the levels of tissue antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced glutathione. HDN supplementation (25 mg/kg body weight) significantly attenuated these alterations thereby showing potent anticancer effect in lung cancer. Overall, these findings substantiate the chemoprotective potential of HDN against chemically-induced lung cancer in BALB/c mice.