Prevention of liver cancer by standardized extract of Melissa officinalis L. in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma: Its potential role as a chemopreventive agent

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Melissa officinalis L. (M. officinalis L.), known as lemon balm is a medicinal plant, which has a wide range of pharmacological properties. This study was aimed to assess the chemopreventive effect of aqueous extract of M. officinalis (AMO) against diethyl nitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. Methods and Results: The model of hepatocellular carcinoma was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as an initiator and after two weeks was followed by daily oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. Lemon balm-treated rats were pretreated with AMO intragastrically at three different doses two weeks prior to DEN injection. At the end of the experiment, the marked reduction of serum biomarkers of liver damage and cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) were observed in AMO complemented rats compared to DEN-treated animals. Furthermore, the extract exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity by elevating GSH concentration and preventing lipid peroxidation in the liver tissues of HCC rats. The relative weight of liver was also reduced in lemon balm-treated rats as a prognostic marker in HCC. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that M. officinalis has a chemopreventive effect against HCC in rats and can be suggested as a potential agent for the prevention of primary liver cancer. Keywords: Melissa officinalis; Lemon balm; Chemoprevention; Carcinogenesis; Liver cancer.