PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF CARISSA CARANDAS FRUIT EXTRACT AGAINST DMBA INDUCED SKIN CARCINOGENESIS STUDIES IN SKIN OF SWISS ALBINO MICE: MORPHOLOGICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY

Antitumor and antioxidative efficacy of Carissa carandas extract (CCE) was investigated in this study against skin carcinogenesis which was initiated by a single topical application of 7, 12-dimethyl-benz(a)anthracene (100 mg / 100 ml acetone in 1% acetone) and two weeks, later promoted by repeated treatment of TPA (Croton oil) for 16 weeks (in 1% acetone) in Swiss albino mice. Oral administration of Carissa carandas hydroalcholic extract (100 mg/kg/b.wt/day) during the peri-initiational (i.e. 7 days before and 7 days after the application of DMBA) and post-initiational (i.e. from the day of croton oil treatment and continued till the end of the experiment) stage and exhibited a reduced number of tumor burden, tumor yield, number of tumors and percent incidence of mice bearing skin tumors as compared to DMBA-TPA treatment group. Average latent period and inhibition of tumor multiplicity were increased when compared to positive control values (only DMBA-TPA treated mice). After oral administration of CCE histopathological changes found less as compared to carcinogen treated mice in both the Groups. Thus, it can be concluded that the administration of CCE in mice reduces skin tumors and histopathological changes indicate anticarcinogenic potential of Carissa carandas.