African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12501

Full Length Research Paper

Monoterpenes reduced adducts formation in rats exposed to aflatoxin B1

J. Abiodun Elegbede1* and Michael N. Gould2
  1UNLV Cancer Institute/Chemistry Department, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4003 2McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706-1599
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 13 November 2002
  •  Published: 30 December 2002

Abstract

 

Perillyl alcohol and d-limonene are naturally occurring plant compounds that exhibited anti-carcinogenic activities in mammary tumor models.  The effects of these monoterpenes at the initiation stage of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis were investigated.  Male F344 rats were fed Control or treatment diets throughout the study and exposed to aflatoxin for 5 days.  Three days after the last aflatoxin dose, blood and liver samples were obtained.  Analysis of liver samples showed that both limonene and perillyl alcohol significantly inhibited (p<0.05) aflatoxin-DNA adducts formation in hepatocytes.  The monoterpenes may have potential for use as chemopreventive agent against aflatoxin-induced liver cancer.

 

Keywords: Aflatoxin B1, hepatocarcinogenesis, monoterpenes, chemoprevention.