Potential preventive effects of Chelidonium majis L. (Papaveraceae) herb extract on glandular stomach tumor development in rats treated with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and hypertonic sodium chloride

The modifying effects of Chelidonium majis L. (Papaveraceae) herb extract (CH), an analgesic traditionally prescribed for gastric and duodenal ulcer patients, on gastric tumor development were studied in rats given N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Sixty-four male 6-week-old Wistar rats were used. Group 1 rats were initially given MNNG (200 mg/kg b.w.) by gavage at days 0 and 14 as well as saturated sodium chloride solution (S-NaCl, 1 ml per rat) every 3 days during weeks 0–3 (six times), and then placed on basal diet containing 0.1 or 0.2% CH for 16 weeks from week 4. Rats of Groups 2 and 3 were treated with MNNG together with S-NaCl or saline (0.9% NaCl, 1 ml per rat), respectively, timed as in Group 1 but without further treatment. All surviving animals were killed at week 20 and histopathologically investigated. In the glandular stomach, the number of preneoplastic pepsinogen 1 altered pyloric glands (PAPGs) in the MNNG + S-NaCl → CH (0.1%) group (Group 1) was significantly smaller than in the MNNG + S-NaCl group (Group 2) (P < 0.02). The incidences of forestomach neoplastic lesions (papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas) also showed a tendency to decrease with the CH treatment. The results thus indicate that CH exerts inhibitory effects on glandular stomach carcinogenesis in the rat, so that it may have potential as a chemopreventive agent for stomach cancer in man.