Introduction: Emblica officinalis L. commonly known as gooseberry, Phyllanthus emblica, Emblica, Indian gooseberry, amla is used in Indian system of medicine for the treatment of liver ailments.
Aim and objectives: In the present study, we report that it ameliorates the carcinogenic response as it reverses the histopathological changes and reduces the number of gamma-GT-positive foci induced by Solt Farber protocol in the liver of Wistar rats.
Materials and methods: Tumors were induced by initiation with diethylnitrosoamine (DEN) (200 mg/kg body wt., i.p.) followed by promotion with 2-acetylaminoflourine (2-AAF) (0.02%, w/w in diet) for continuous 6 weeks and the animals were subjected to partial hepatectomy on day 21 of initiation.
Results: Pretreatment with defatted methanolic fruit extract (100 and 200mg/kg b.w.) of Emblica officinalis showed significant partial recovery of pathological manifestations as compared to DEN and 2-AAF-treated group animals (p<0.001) and suppressed the tumor forming potential of 2-AAF (p<0.05) at both the doses.
Conclusion: Emblica officinalis has the potential to suppress carcinogen-induced response in rat liver.