PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF ANTINEOPLASTIC ACTIVITY OF HYDROETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF UNRIPE FRUIT OF CARICA PAPAYA LINN USING ANIMAL MODEL

摘要

Objective: This study was undertaken to screen the effect of administration of various doses of hydroethanolic extract of unripe fruit of Carica papaya L. (HEECP) against Dalton’s ascitic lymphoma (DAL) in Swiss albino mice. Methods: DAL cells were injected intraperitoneally (1×10 6 cells) to each mouse and divided into various groups. The animals were treated with various doses (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) of HEECP. A standard drug (5-fluorouracil, 20 mg/kg/day) was also used. The animals were evaluated for hematological and biochemical parameters and were compared with the same parameters in the standard by collecting blood from a retro-orbital blood vessel of mice. Results: The life spans of the animals were increased. In the DAL tumor control group, the average life span of animals was found to be 45% whereas, 200 and 400 mg/kg of test drug showed increase in life span to 67% and 75%, respectively. Platelets count was significantly (p<0.001) decreased in cancer control group and was brought back to normal after treatment. Conclusion: These observations suggest that the extract possesses antineoplastic effect against DAL.