EVALUATION OF GENOTOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC POTENTIALITY IN BETEL NUT EXTRACT TREATED SARCOMA-180 TUMOR BEARING MICE

Abstract

The present study has been oriented to assess the genotoxic as well as carcinogenic potential of different concentrations
of ethanolic betel nut extract (BNE) on in vivo Sarcoma-180 tumor bearing mouse considering survival rate, tumor
growth, mitotic index and chromosomal aberrations as parameters. Different concentrations of BNE induce the rate of
cell proliferation in tumor cells with steady increase of mitotic index and chromosomal abnormalities. The cell
proliferation rates and chromosomal abnormalities in 300mg/kg body weight BNE treated series were significantly
increased when compared to the control and other treated groups. Interestingly, hemoglobin percentage and RBC count
along with lymphocyte count gradually decreased and total WBC count increased in treated series when the data were
compared to control series. The significant increase of tumor growth rate, mitotic index and chromosomal aberrations
with reduction of mouse survival rate as well as decrease in the percentage of hemoglobin and RBC count in treated
series may be attributed to the presence of different types of toxic alkaloids in BNE that has a genotoxic as well as
carcinogenic effect.