ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether actinomycin-D (AMD), an antibiotic, alters the reported efficacy of a potentized homoeopathic drug, Arsenicum Album, in reducing genotoxic effects produced in arsenic-trioxide-injected mice. DESIGN: Mice were separately injected with AMD, As2O3, and conjointly with AMD plus As2O3, AMD plus homoeopathic drug, AMD plus As2O3 plus homoepathic drug, and As2O3 plus homoeopathic drug in separate sets. METHODS: Several standard cytogenetical endpoints were assessed at different fixation intervals by adopting conventional techniques. RESULTS: Both Ars Alb-30 and Ars Alb-200 showed protective ability against AMD and As2O3 when injected individually, but this ability was reduced considerably in mice injected with AMD and As2O3 together. AMD itself had genotoxic effects, but also apparently reduced genotoxic effects of arsenic to some extent. CONCLUSION: AMD reduced the protective efficacy of the homoeopathic drug against arsenic. This result suggests a mechanism of action for homoeopathy, as AMD is a known transcription-blocker.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Arsenicals/administration & dosage , Dactinomycin/administration & dosage , Homeopathy , Oxides/administration & dosage , Animals , Arsenic Trioxide , Chromosome Aberrations , Disease Models, Animal , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Interactions , Drug Therapy, Combination , Male , Mice , Micronucleus Tests , Mitotic Index/drug effects , Random Allocation , Spermatozoa/abnormalities , Spermatozoa/drug effects , Transcription, Genetic/drug effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cadmium poisoning in the environment has assumed an alarming problem in recent years. Effective antimutagenic agents which can reverse or combat cadmium induced genotoxicity in mice have not yet been reported. Therefore, in the present study, following the homeopathic principle of "like cures like", we tested the efficacy of two potencies of a homeopathic drug, Cadmium Sulphoricum (Cad Sulph), in reducing the genotoxic effects of Cadmium chloride in mice. Another objective was to determine the relative efficacy of three administrative modes, i.e. pre-, post- and combined pre and post-feeding of the homeopathic drugs. For this, healthy mice, Mus musculus, were intraperitoneally injected with 0.008% solution of CdCl2 @ 1 ml/100 gm of body wt (i.e. 0.8 mcg/gm of bw), and assessed for the genotoxic effects through such studies as chromosome aberrations (CA), micronucleated erythrocytes (MNE), mitotic index (MI) and sperm head anomaly (SHA), keeping suitable succussed alcohol fed (positive) and CdCl2 untreated normal (negative) controls. The CdCl2 treated mice were divided into 3 subgroups, which were orally administered with the drug prior to, after and both prior to and after injection of CdCl2 at specific fixation intervals and their genotoxic effects were analyzed. RESULTS: While the CA, MNE and SHA were reduced in the drug fed series as compared to their respective controls, the MI showed an apparent increase. The combined pre- and post-feeding of Cad Sulph showed maximum reduction of the genotoxic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Both Cad Sulph-30 and 200 were able to combat cadmium induced genotoxic effects in mice and that combined pre- and post-feeding mode of administration was found to be most effective in reducing the genotoxic effect of CdCl2 followed by the post-feeding mode.
Subject(s)
Cadmium Chloride/toxicity , Cadmium/administration & dosage , Materia Medica/administration & dosage , Administration, Oral , Animals , Chromosome Aberrations/chemically induced , Chromosome Aberrations/drug effects , Female , Humans , Injections, Intraperitoneal , Male , Mice , Micronucleus Tests , Mitotic Index , Mutagenicity Tests , Sperm Head/drug effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Crude extracts of Chelidonium majus, and also purified compounds derived from crude extracts of this plant, have been reported to exhibit anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-microbial properties both in vitro and in vivo. Chelidonium is a homeopathic drug routinely used against various liver disorders including cancer in humans. Two potencies of Chelidonium (Ch-30, Ch-200) have been tested for their possible anti-tumor and enzyme modulating activities in liver and anti-clastogenic effects during p-DAB-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice compared to suitable controls. METHODS: Several cytogenetic and enzymatic protocols were used at three fixation intervals; at 60 days, 90 days and 120 days of treatment. Different sets of healthy mice were fed: i) hepatocarcinogen, p-DAB plus phenobarbital (PB), ii) only PB, iii) neither p-DAB nor PB (normal control). One set of mice fed with p-DAB plus PB was also fed Ch-30 (iv) and another set Ch-200 (v). All standard currently used methods were adopted for cytogenetical preparations and for the enzyme assays. RESULTS: All group (i) mice developed tumors in liver at all fixation intervals, while none of group (ii) and (iii) mice developed any tumors. About 40% mice in group (iv) and group (v) did not show tumor nodules in their liver. Feeding of Chelidonium to group (iv) and (v) mice reduced genotoxic effects to a significant extent (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The homeopathic drug Chelidonium exhibited anti-tumor and anti-genotoxic activities and also favorably modulated activities of some marker enzymes. Microdoses of Chelidonium may be effectively used in combating liver cancer.
Subject(s)
Chelidonium , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/drug therapy , Phytotherapy , Acid Phosphatase/metabolism , Alkaline Phosphatase/metabolism , Animals , Carcinogens , Homeopathy , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/chemically induced , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/enzymology , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology , Mice , Micronucleus Tests , Mitotic Index , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Remission Induction , p-DimethylaminoazobenzeneABSTRACT
Several cytogenetical and enzymatic protocols were used to test if two microdoses of Chelidonium majus, namely Chelidonium-30 (Ch-30) and Chelidonium-200 (Ch-200), used as homeopathic drugs, showed anti-tumor activity and also favorably modulated genotoxic damages produced by an azo dye in mice at several intervals of fixation. Different sets of healthy mice were fed: (i) hepatocarcinogen, p-dimethylaminoazobenzene (p-DAB, initiator) + phenobarbital (PB, promoter), (ii) only p-DAB, (iii) only PB, and (iv) neither p-DAB nor PB (normal control). Mice fed with p-DAB + PB were divided into different sets that were also fed either Ch-30 (v) or Ch-200 (vi) or diluted alcohol (vii), the "vehicle" of the microdoses of Chelidonium. All mice of group (i), a few of group (ii) and group (vii) and none of groups (iii) and (iv) developed tumors in liver at the longer intervals of fixation. The frequencies of chromosome aberrations (CA), micronucleated erythrocytes (MN), mitotic index (MI) and sperm head abnormality (SHA) were much higher in groups (i) and (vii) mice than in groups (ii), (iii) and (iv) mice at all fixation intervals. However, in mice of both groups (v) and (vi), the frequencies of CA, MN, SHA were strikingly less than those of groups (i) and (vii), and moderately less than those of groups (ii) and (iii). Both Ch-30 and Ch-200 also modulated favourably some toxicity marker enzymes like acid and alkaline phosphatases, peroxidases, glutamate oxaloacetate and glutamate pyruvate transaminases in liver, kidney and spleen tissues of the carcinogen fed mice. The microdoses of Chelidonium having no visible ill effects of their own, may be strong candidates for use in delaying/protecting liver cancer.
Subject(s)
Azo Compounds/toxicity , Carcinogens/toxicity , Chelidonium/chemistry , Coloring Agents/toxicity , Homeopathy , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/drug therapy , Animals , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/chemically induced , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology , Mice , Micronucleus TestsABSTRACT
Artificial musk-raw material, using as a substitute for traditional Chinese medicine musk, a new drug of class I was assessed for mutagenicity. The micronucleus rates of polychromatocyte in the bone marrow of mice were 2.8, 1.3 and 1.0/1000 when the treated dosage was 1800, 700 and 350 mg/kg. The results of Ames test for the strains TA97, TA98, TA100 and TA102 were negative with and without S9 mix when the concentration of artificial musk was 625, 1,250, 2,500 and 5,000 micrograms/plate, respectively. The chromosome aberration rates were 1.0, 0.8, 1.2% when the treated dosage was 360, 180, 90 mg/kg, respectively. The above results proved that no mutagenicity was found for artificial musk.
Subject(s)
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated/toxicity , Animals , Chromosome Aberrations , Male , Materia Medica , Mice , Micronucleus Tests , Mutagenicity TestsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Canova activates macrophages and indirectly induces lymphocyte proliferation. Here we evaluated the effects of Canova in cyclophosphamide-treated non-human primates. METHODS: Twelve Cebus apella were evaluated. Four animals were treated with Canova only. Eight animals were treated with two doses of cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg) and four of these animals received Canova. Body weight, biochemistry and hematologic analyses were performed for 40 days. Micronucleus and comet assays were performed for the evaluation of DNA damage. RESULTS: We observed that cyclophosphamide induced abnormal WBC count in all animals. However, the group treated with cyclophosphamide plus Canova presented a higher leukocyte count than that which received only cyclophosphamide. Cyclophosphamide induced micronucleus and DNA damage in all animals. The frequency of these alterations was significantly lower in the Canova group than in the group without this medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that Canova treatment minimizes cyclophosphamide myelotoxicity in C. apella.