Hesperidin a citrus bioflavonoid modulates hepatic biotransformation enzymes and enhances intrinsic antioxidants in experimental breast cancer rats challenged with 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene.

DMBA is a major class of potent genotoxic chemical carcinogen present in the environment and it may increase breast cancer risk. Flavonoids have been shown to have interesting biological activities in many experimental investigations. Hesperidin is one of the citrus flavonoid shown to be active against various oxidative stress mediated diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial impact of a natural citrus flavonoglycoside hesperidin against 7, 12-Dimethylbenz [a] anthracene challenged experimental breast carcinogenesis with reference to drug metabolizing enzymes and intrinsic antioxidant status. The female Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered with single dose of 7, 12-DMBA to induce breast cancer and were treated with hesperidin [30mg/kg/body weight] for a consecutive 45 days. The results revealed that there was a significant reduction in the status of antioxidants levels and also significant alterations in the drug metabolizing enzymes were found in genotoxin DMBA exposed animals. Interestingly these, altered levels were significantly revered back to near normal in hesperidin administered animals via enhancing the intrinsic antioxidant levels and induction in Phase II enzymes and modulation in Phase I enzyme levels. Thus the antigenotoxic activity of hesperidin may be due to the modulatory effect in biotransformation enzymes and excellent antioxidant potentials which paving a way to consider hesperidin against the genotoxin involved oxidative stress mediated diseases.