Objective: The utility of natural, synthetic, or biological chemical factors that hide or inhibit carcinogenic incidence is the aim of cancer chemoprevention. One of the food items that play an important role in cancer chemoprevention is Spirulina platensis (blue green alga). Until now, there is relatively little information on the cancer chemopreventive role of Spirulina platensis (Sp) in animal researches. So, the squamous cell carcinoma can be induced by using 4-nitroquinoline-1 oxide (4-NQO) in tongue mucosa of rats and the chemopreventive efficiency of Spirulina platensis regarding the oral carcinogenesis was examined.
Materials and methods: 30 healthy albino rats were equally divided into 3 groups.
Group I (rats received normal saline) served as control, Rats of both group II and III received 50ppm 4NQO daily in drinking water for 20 weeks. Spirulina platensis was orally administered to rats of group III at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight, once daily via gastric tube. After 20 weeks of drugs administrations, the histopathological changes were evaluated microscopically. Furthermore, by using the image analyser computer system, the anticarcinogenic potential of Spirulina platensis was examined through the immunohistochemical expressions of cytokeratin 5 in tongue specimens.
Results: oral administration of Spirulina platensis considerably reduced the frequency of 4-NQO produced tongue carcinogenesis. A lower percentage of cytokeratin5 immunoexpression was registered in the Spirulina platensis treated group when compared to the carcinogenic group.
Conclusion: our results demonstrated that Spirulina platensis can exert chemopreventive effect against tongue carcinogenesis through suppression of cell propagation and promotion of cell adherence.