Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. f. and Thoms. and Arabinogalactan exert chemopreventive action during B(a)P induced pulmonary carcinogenesis: Studies on ultrastructural, molecular and biochemical alterations

Abstract

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. f. and Thoms. (Tc) is a medicinal plant gaining considerable attention owing to its wide range of pharmacological properties. Though there are ample reports which have documented its biological activity in various clinical disorders, there is a paucity of information regarding its anticancer activity particularly against B(a)P induced lung cancer. So, the present study evaluates the chemopreventive potentials of aqueous extract of Tc (Aq.Tc) and its active component; Arabinogalactan (AG) against Benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] induced pulmonary carcinogenesis in BALB/c mice. B(a)P resulted in significant alteration in carcinogen metabolizing enzymes (CME’s), reduced glutathione and lipid peroxidation levels. B(a)P also inflicted clastogenic damage, disturbed phospholipid saturation, protein secondary structures and glycogen content. Altogether these events resulted in the alterations in cellular arrangement of pulmonary tissue, depicting the outburst of lung carcinogenesis. However, Aq.Tc and AG significantly helped to normalize the disturbed levels of CME’s and antioxidant machinery. Clastogenic changes, phospholipid saturation, protein secondary structures and glycogen content were also alleviated with Aq.Tc and AG administration. Additionally, B(a)P+ Aq.Tc and B(a)P + AG treated groups revealed the classical features of apoptosis. The results suggest that the aquatic extract of gudichi (Aq.Tc) and Arabinogalactan (AG) modulate various key processes associated with carcinogenesis and can be used as effective chemopreventive agents.