2008 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 137-142
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent malignant tumors worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. The importance of diet in the control of several major cancers is now widely recognized, and it is generally agreed that a plant-based diet may afford a significant degree of protection. The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of genistein on N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced (200 mg/kg body weight; by single i.p injection) and Phenobarbital-promoted (0.05% through drinking water for 14 successive weeks) liver cancer in Wistar albino rats. Decreases (p < 0.001) in the activities of Na+/K+ ATPase and Mg2+ ATPase and increases (p < 0.001) in Ca2+ ATPase activity were observed in erythrocytes membrane and tissue ATPase of liver cancer-bearing animals when compared with control groups. The change in the activities of these enzymes in membrane and tissue were indicative of the persistent deteriorating effect of DEN in cancer-bearing animals. These enzyme activities were reversed to near normal value in animals treated with genistein. From our results we conclude that genistein may play an important role in preserving membrane asymmetry by suppressing free radicals implying a role for genistein against tumorigenesis.
