Chemopreventive effect of selenium and Chinese medicinal herbs on N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Syrian hamsters

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Oxidative DNA damage by reactive oxygen species is involved in the process of liver carcinogenesis. To test the hypothesis that a remedy containing Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Sb) and Bupleurum scorzonerifolfium Willd (Bs) (Sb/Bs remedy) modulates hepatic neoplastic growth, BOP (N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine)-induced liver cancers in hamsters were established. METHODS: Parameters such as survival rate, tumour area, tumour foci, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), caspase-3, transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured after Sb/Bs remedy treatment during BOP-induced carcinogenesis. RESULTS: The results showed that the Sb/Bs remedy and its constituents Sb and Bs suppressed the tumour area in BOP-induced liver tumours. Because selenium (Sel) is toxic at a high dose (10 mg/kg), with a low survival rate (0%), the combination of Sb/Bs remedy and low-dose Sel (1 mg/kg) was found to decrease the tumour area and the number of tumour foci while increasing serum TNF-α and TGF-β1, but not IL-6 levels. Besides, the Sb/Bs remedy, when combined with low-dose Sel, not only decreased the expression of 8-OHdG and increased caspase-3 expression within the glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive tumour foci but also increased tumour apoptosis in BOP-induced hamsters. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that low-dose Sel has a chemoprevention effect on BOP-induced liver tumours and such an effect was more enhanced when combined with Sb/Bs treatment.