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Silymarin downregulates COX-2 expression and attenuates hyperlipidemia during NDEA-induced rat hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract

Silymarin is a naturally available bioflavonoid and is a strong antioxidant with a capacity to inhibit the formation of tumors in several cancer models. In the present study, we investigated whether dietary supplementation of silymarin has any role in lipid components, lipid-metabolizing enzymes, free fatty acid profile, and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats. NDEA-induced rats showed severe hyperlipidemia along with upregulated expression of COX-2 as revealed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Dietary silymarin supplementation attenuated this hyperlipidemia and downregulated the expression of COX-2. Thus we conclude that compounds like silymarin with potent hypolipidemic effect are strong candidates as chemopreventive agents for the treatment of liver cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. CEAAL Analytical Laboratory (A unit of C. L. Baid Mehta College of Pharmacy), Chennai, for their help in Gas chromatography analysis and we wish to thank Dr. P. Srinivasan, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea, for his guidance and assistance during immunohistochemical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy campus, Chennai, 600025, Tamilnadu, India

    Gopalakrishnan Ramakrishnan, Sundaram Jagan, Titto Alby Augustine, Sattu Kamaraj, Pandi Anandakumar & Thiruvengadam Devaki

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), P. O. Box 70228, University City, Mexico DF, 04510, Mexico

    Carmen Martha Elinos-Báez

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  1. Gopalakrishnan Ramakrishnan
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  2. Carmen Martha Elinos-Báez
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Correspondence to Thiruvengadam Devaki.

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Ramakrishnan, G., Elinos-Báez, C.M., Jagan, S. et al. Silymarin downregulates COX-2 expression and attenuates hyperlipidemia during NDEA-induced rat hepatocellular carcinoma. Mol Cell Biochem 313, 53–61 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-008-9741-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-008-9741-5

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