Resumen
Our previous studies have reported the anticancer activity of Raphanus sativus L. var. caudatus Alef (RS) in many cancer cells, but only in vitro. The anticancer effects of RS were, therefore, investigated in rats with early-stage liver cancer. RS effectively reduced the overexpression of GST-P positive foci and apoptotic cells in the rats injected with DEN (a carcinogen) during the development of early-stage of cancer. The major finding from this study highlights the chemopreventive activity of RS extract given orally in the initial stage of hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo by (1) inhibiting carcinogenic activities, (2) increasing phase II metabolism, and by (3) lower inflammation. The attributed compounds to these activities could be polyphenols and isothiocyanates, mainly sulforaphene. The results confirm sufficient oral bioavailability, with no detected toxicity, and thus support the use of RS as a health-promoting plant and its possible further study and use in humans.