Abstract
Doxorubicin (DXR) is a potent antitumor drug used worldwide against many forms of human cancer. However, in addition to intercalating into the DNA molecule, this drug generates free radicals that induces chromosome aberrations. Fruits of Salanum melongena are rich in flavonoids. Since several flavonoids have been reported to be efficient antioxidants by scavenging oxygen radicals, the objective of the present study was to investigate the possible protective effect of a standardized extract of Solanum melongena on Wistar rat cells treated with DXR in vivo. The animals were treated by gavage with the extract at 50% of the LD50 (3 g/kg determined for mice) for 10 consecutive days (group 1) and during 1 day (a single dose, group 2), and submitted to euthanasia 24 h after DXR injection (10 mg/kg body weight) for micronucleus assay (MN) and chromosome preparations. Control groups received a single dose of DXR or S. melongena extract. In both treatments where the animals were treated with the extract and with the DXR simultaneously, rat bone marrow cells developed significantly fewer MN and chromosomal aberrations than those treated with DXR alone.
