Dunaliella salina is a photosynthetic cell factory used for the commercial production of food additives, cattle stock feed and cosmetics as well as active ingredients for pharmaceutical industries. The investigation of the in vivo antitumor activity of D. salina lyophilized powder (DSLP) against 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induced mammary carcinogenesis in female Wistar rats indicated a dose-dependent effect of DSLP. We studied the effect of DSLP at two different dosages of 500 and 1000 mg per kg bw on DMBA induced mammary cancer in rats by measuring the status of antioxidant enzymes, phase I and phase II detoxification enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and glycoconjugated proteins and by investigating the expression pattern of cell proliferation (Ki-67), hormonal receptor (ER, PR and HER2) status by immunohistochemical analysis, and apoptotic (caspase-3 and -9) and pro-inflammatory (COX-2) markers by colorimetric analysis. After 16 weeks of the study, we observed 100% tumor formation (including high tumor incidence and tumor volume) and a significant increase in the level of hormonal receptors, cell proliferation, and pro-inflammatory and apoptosis markers in tumor-bearing animals compared to the control. The oral administration of DSLP (1000 mg per kg bw) to the DMBA treated animals showed up to 83.4% reduction of tumors and effectively restored the levels of biochemical markers in the mammary tissues in addition to the downregulation of the expression of molecular markers. In conclusion, DSLP was found to show a chemopreventive effect against breast cancer induced in rats through the suppression of cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis.

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The present study examined the potential of Zingiber officinale‐Terminalia chebula extract alone (ZO and TC) and in combination (ZOTC) against type 2 diabetes via downregulation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). The 1:4 (ZOTC) ratio showed high cell survival percentage against the rat insulinoma cell line (RIN‐5F) when compared to other possible ratios of ZOTC. Oral administration of ZO alone, TC alone, combined ZOTC (1:4), and the positive control metformin (Met) in fructose‐streptozotocin (STZ) ‐induced diabetic rats showed reduced blood glucose levels, reduced insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR), increased insulin levels, and increased pancreatic beta cell function (HOMA‐β). ZOTC treatment in diabetic rats ameliorated the antioxidant status without affecting liver and serum parameters. Histological evaluation of the pancreas was performed to find pathological changes; the transcriptional and immunohistochemistry results showed reduced mTOR expression in the pancreas during ZOTC treatment. Conclusively, the results obtained suggest that ZOTC treatment against fructose‐STZ‐induced type 2 diabetes rat models can help regulate blood glucose, insulin levels, and normalize pancreatic β cell damage. Practical applications Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects a large number of populations worldwide. Zingiber officinale (ZO) and Terminalia chebula (TC) has been used in traditional medicine since ancient times against various ailments, including diabetes. In this study, we reported the effect of the combined ZOTC that showed significant blood glucose reduction and increased insulin levels via mTOR when compared to individual treatments. This finding is valuable for food technologists and alternative medicine practitioners to know the antidiabetic effect of the ZOTC combination.

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