Anticancer effect of Taxus baccata and Indian cow urine distillate (CUD) on mice treated with Diethyl

Abstract Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display the traits of uncontrolled growth, invasion and its spread through metastasis to the distant body places. Cancer is mainly caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cell. The abnormalities may be due to the effect of carcinogen such as tobacco, smoke, radiation, and Chemicals like; DEN, aflatoxins and other nitroso compounds etc.Among various cancers, liver cancer is one of the most frequent that kill more than 600,000 people around the world every year. The present investigation was to study the effect of extracts of Taxus baccata alone and in combination with indigenous Cow Urine Distillate (CUD) in mice. Carcinogenicity was induced by diethyl nitrosamine (200μl/kg) (DEN). In a single dose DEN challenged animals were given extracts alone and in combination with CUD, daily and named them as test group. For control group no DEN and no treatment was given. Negative control was given only DEN, to check its carcinogenicity with control and test group. Tumors were developed in negative control animals, which died early but no mortality was observed in the test group. After six month the tissues from liver and kidneys were collected and histopathology was done to study the effect of carcinogen, plant extracts and their formulation with CUD. Microscopic examination of liver showed the presence of hyperplastic and anaplastic cells with the characteristic features of anaplasia including pleomorphism, hyperchromasia and presence of mitotic figure