Cancer Lett. 1998 Dec; 134(2): 217-26.

Chemoprevention of DMBA-induced transplacental and translactational carcinogenesis in mice by oil from mustard seeds (Brassica spp.).

Hashim S, Banerjee S, Madhubala R, Rao AR.

Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

The present study reports the chemopreventive potential of the oil from mustard seed on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced transplacental and translactational carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice. Gestating females were treated with mustard oil at dose levels of 0.05 and 0.10 ml per day from days 13 to 19 of gestation. In addition, they were given DMBA (3 mg/animal) on days 15-17 of gestation. The percentage of tumour incidence in the F1 progeny was reduced significantly at both dose levels from 65% in the control group to 29% and 16%, respectively, in the experimental groups. The mean number of tumours per effective F1 progeny was reduced from 1.56 in the control group to 0.93 and 0.41 in the animals treated with lower and higher doses of mustard oil, respectively. When lactating mothers were given the mustard oil at dose levels of 0.05 and 0.10 ml per day for the first 15 days of lactation in addition to DMBA given on days 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 of lactation, the multiple site tumour incidence was brought down significantly from a control value of 70% to 32% and 18%, respectively, in lower and higher dose groups. The mean number of tumours in the F1 mouse was reduced from a control value of 1.71 to 0.96 at the lower dose level and to 0.34 at the higher dose level. From earlier studies done in our laboratory, it appears that mustard oil exerts its effect by inducing the enzymes of drug detoxification and also by changing the profile of the antioxidant defence system. The quantitative and qualitative nature of the active principles and their passage into the F1 progeny remains to be seen.