EVALUATION OF HAEMATOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ALPHA TERPINEOL AGAINST DMBA INDUCED BREAST CANCER IN SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS

Mentha piperita L. is an important medicinal herb worldwide. The plant Mentha piperita L. belongs to the family Lamiaceae (1) and commonly known as peppermint is a hybrid of  Mentha piperita. It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and documented in the Icelandic pharmacopoeia of the thirteenth century. It is widely grown in temperate areas of the world, particularly in Europe, North America and North Africa but nowadays cultivated throughout all regions of the world. Plants are extremely valuable and used by people to cure many diseases for a long time.  They had the least side effect on human beings (2). In this present study,     α-Terpineols , a monocyclic monoterpene tertiary alcohols which are naturally present in Mentha piperita plant species was used against breast cancer. Moreover, it exhibites an anti-proliferative activity, which may be used in the prevention or even treatment of tumour, because it was found that α-Terpineols established a potent antioxidant capability in different human cancer cell lines (3). The objectives of the study is to evaluate anticancer potential of Alpha terpineol on DMBA induced breast cancer in female Sprague dawley rats. Experimental animals are sorted into six groups, Group I: Normal Control, Group II: DMBA (25mg/Kg), Group III: DMBA + Tamoxifen (5mg/Kg), Group IV: DMBA + Alpha terpineol (20mg/Kg), Group V: DMBA + Alpha terpineol (40mg/Kg) and Group VI: Alpha terpineol alone (20mg/Kg). The DMBA is a powerful carcinogenic agent and is used to induce tumours in animals. Rats were treated twice per week for 4 weeks with DMBA (25 mg/Kg body weight dissolved in olive oil) orally. After the experimental period, the animals were fasted overnight and sacrificed by cervical decapitation, the blood was collected from the controls and the experimental groups of rats; the serum was separated out for the body weight, tumor weight and haematological analysis. The acute toxicity study of Alpha terpineol indicated that the calculated LD50 value (Dixons likelihood method) for the oral doses of Alpha terpineol was found to be more than 100 mg/Kg body weight, accordingly 20 and 40 mg/Kg body weight were taken as low and high dose of Alpha terpineol for the experiment. Body weight, tumor weight, various haematological parameters were analysed. RBC, haemoglobin and platelets were seen as near normal level and reduction in WBC were observed in Alpha terpineol 20 and 40mg/Kg treated groups. In WBC differential count, increase in lymphocyte and monocyte and a decrease in neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil  was observed in  DMBA treated rats. Overall, Alpha terpineol, a compound present in Mentha piperita  has potential in vivo anticancer effects, suggesting that it is a promising candidate for the preparation of an improved traditional medicine for breast cancer. When applied to the world as entire, this information has the potential to reform how we move towards public wellbeing, and manage natural resources, and create sustainable ecosystems. Medicinal plants, on the other hand, are endangered by human impact and uncontrolled wild harvesting, thus intentional efforts toward domestication and cultivation are suggested to make sure and steady supply of these plants.