Introduction:
Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent active against malignant salivary gland tumors. Cisplatin causes various adverse effects, such as mucostis, hyposalivation, and cytotoxicity which are associated with high mortality. Annona muricata a strong antioxidant was considered effective against inflammatory, oxidative stress and free radical-induced damage.
Objective: investigation of the possible effects of Annona muricata against cisplatin induced injury in parotid gland of albino rats.
Material and methods: thirty adult male Sprague dawley rats weighing 200 – 250 gm and 2.5-3 months of age were divided into 3 equal groups. Group I: received intra peritoneal 6 mg /kg body wt. of saline. Group II: received intra peritoneal 6 mg /kg body wt. of cisplatin once. Group III: received intra peritoneal 6 mg /kg body wt. of cisplatin once, then after 3 days animals start receiving 200 mg / kg body wt. of annona orally for 40 days. Five animals of each group were sacrificed with over dose anesthesia after 20 and 40 days from the beginning of treatment with annona. Parotid glands were excised and prepared for routine histological examination using heamatoxylin and eosin stain, Caspase 3 immunohistochemistry, elisa of catalase enzyme activity and malondialdehyde.
Results: administration of Annona ameliorates the histological picture and tissue architecture of the gland, decrease the apoptotic effect and the lipid peroxidation induced by cisplatin and increase the level of catalase enzyme. Conclusion: Annona extract has shown considerable amelioration against the undesirable effect of cisplatin, which could be considered for further investigation towards therapeutic application.