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Chemically induced carcinogenesis models in the rat are widely used for studying the biology of cancer and for developing and evaluating cancer prevention strategies. The azoxymethane(AOM)-induced rat colon tumor is a valuable tool for studying the interaction between tumor development and exogenous factors. Malignant conditions are characterized by enhanced levels of lipid peroxidative products, protein bound carbohydrates indicative of membrane damage and an ineffective antioxidant scavenging system. In the present study, AOM-induced rat showed lipid peroxidative damage, alterations in the membrane glycoprotein component and antioxidant defense system, along with ultrastructural changes like disruption in goblet cell and its membrane, swollen mitochondria with cristae dispersed, elongated endoplasmic reticulum and other features of neoplastic invasion. Berberine significantly attenuated the increases in lipid peroxidation, protein bound carbohydrates and enhanced the antioxidative status. The present study suggests that berberine prevents the appearance of malignant morphology and ultrastructural changes of AOM induced cancer by producing apoptosis like changes. Thus berberine inhibits neoplastic transformation by the induction of antioxidant defence system and ability to induce apoptotic like changes--thus elucidating its anti cancer role.

Crataegus oxycantha (hawthorn) is used in herbal and homeopathic medicine as a cardiotonic. The present study was done to investigate the effect of the alcoholic extract of Crataegus oxycantha (AEC) on mitochondrial function during experimentally induced myocardial infarction in rat. AEC was administered orally to male albino rats (150-200 g), at a dosage of 0.5 ml/100 g body weight/day, for 30 days. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were administered isoproterenol (85 mg/kg body weight, s.c) for 2 days at an interval of 24 h. After 48 h, the rats were anaesthetized and sacrificed. The hearts were homogenized for biochemical and electron microscopic analysis. AEC pretreatment maintained mitochondrial antioxidant status, prevented mitochondrial lipid peroxidative damage and decrease in Kreb's cycle enzymes induced by isoproterenol in rat heart.

Assess the ability of a new device based on electrochemical principles using iontophoresis (the EZSCAN) to detect impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).Eligible Asian Indian subjects, n=212, had anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, followed by an OGTT, HbA1c, serum lipids tests and EZSCAN measurement.Biochemically, 24 subjects were diagnosed with DM, 30 with IGT, 57 subjects had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with metabolic syndrome (MS) and 101 had NGT without MS. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1c levels were highest in the DM group (p0.0001 for both). HDL-C levels were different (p=0.015). FPG at a cut-off level of 7.0 mmol/L had a low sensitivity to detect DM (29%) EZSCAN had a 75% sensitivity to detect DM, 70% for IGT and 84% for NGT with MS at threshold50%.FPG had low sensitivity to detect DM in the study group. EZSCAN demonstrated good sensitivity to detect IGT and DM and also identified NGT with MS. The concept of measuring ion fluxes through the skin appears to be a powerful method for early detection of MS, IGT and DM.

Myocardial infarction produces significant abnormal liver functioning. In the present study the hepatoprotective effect of tincture of Crataegus (TCR) in myocardially infarcted rats was investigated. The oral administration of TCR to rats for 30 days afforded good protection against isoproterenol-induced alterations in tissue marker enzymes of liver injury like alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferease, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase and in protein-bound carbohydrates like hexose, hexosamine, fucose, and sialic acid. The protective effect of TCR was further supported by the reversal of isoproterenol-induced histological changes in the liver. The results suggest that TCR, which can protect the heart and circulatory system, can also be hepatoprotective and thereby maintain the near normal architecture of liver tissue.