Immunohistochemical Detection of Caspase 8 Expression and Apoptotic index Activities of Tephrosia purpurea Crude Extract in Balb / C Mice Inoculated with HepG2 Cells

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify immunomodulatory, apoptosis inducing and anticancer activities of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of T. purpurea, regarding the size of tumor mass and immunohistochemical detection of caspase 8 expressions and apoptotic index in mice inoculated with HepG2, mouse hepatocellular carcinoma as therapeutic experimental system for human. Forty-eight Balb/C albino mice were injected at legs with HepG2 cells. Tumor size was measured twice a week, note that the measurement time period is one month.

Administration of aqueous extract (0.3,0.6,1.2) mg/kg and alcoholic extract of in (0.25,0.5,1) mg/kg to HepG2 tumor-bearing mice showed a significant difference (P≤0.01) in tumor size compared with control group. Inhibitory activity of aqueous and alcoholic extracts was dose and duration dependent. The effective doses in reduction of tumor size were 1.2 mg/kg for aqueous and 1mg/kg for alcoholic extract in which HepG2 tumor mass reduced in size for up to 87.9 %. HepG2 bearing mice treated with T. purpurea aqueous and alcoholic extracts showed significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in apoptotic index compared with untreated control group.

Extracts of T. purpurea were highly efficient for tumor growth inhibition, causing reduction in the tumor size, and increasing the expression of caspase 8 gene product in tumor tissue. Also, these extracts increased the apoptotic index of H22 tumor cells taken from the legs of transfected animals.