ABSTRACT
Phyllanthus amarus is known to be therapeutically beneficial, hence its use in traditional medicine, where it has been used in the treatment of ailments such as jaundice, fevers, genital infections, wounds, cancers and more. These are also reported in scientific papers. In the present study, the effect of ethanolic extract of Phyllanthus amarus on colon cancer in Swiss albino mice induced with 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH) was evaluated. A total of 18 mice weighing 20 to 30 grams were acclimatized for one week, and subsequently randomized into three groups, each group consisting of 6 mice. Group A (-DMH) was positive control, Group B (DMH, 350mg/kg body weight of ethanolic extract of P. amarus) was treated, and group C (+ DMH) was negative control, untreated. Oral administration of DMH (for cancer induction) lasted for 9 weeks with doses at 1% body weight of animals). Plant extract was administered daily (same dose as DMH) for 3 weeks as soon as DMH induction was concluded. This investigation demonstrated the carcinogenic effect of DMH. There was significant decrease in Caspase 9, P53, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocyte, lymphocyte, red blood cells, Catalase (CAT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), while there was significant increase in white blood cell, granulocytes malondialdehyde in untreated mice (+DMH) when compared to control and treated. Chronic inflammations were also observed in liver and kidney tissues, but not in positive control. These effects were ameliorated in mice treated with 350mg/kg body weight of ethanolic extract of P. amarus. Comparisons of group A against B, and A against C shows values were considered significantly different at P less than 0.05. These findings hint on the general ideology that P. amarus may be effective in the treatment and management of colon cancer, hence its usage in ethno-medicine.
