7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis is widely preferred to assess the tumor-inhibiting efficacy of the medicinal plants or their constituents. The present study explores the tumor-inhibiting potential of esculetin by utilizing the status of lipid peroxidation by products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), antioxidants (vitamin E, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and phase I and phase II detoxification agents as biochemical end points and by using histopathological studies as well in DMBA-induced hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis. Oral tumors developed in the buccal pouch were subjected to histopathological studies, and were confirmed as oral squamous cell carcinoma. Hamsters treated with DMBA alone showed an abnormal pattern of lipid peroxidation, antioxidants, and detoxification agents as compared to control hamsters. The status of the above-mentioned biochemical markers and histopathological abnormalities were found to be reversed in DMBA + esculetin-treated hamsters. The result of the present study thus indicates the tumor preventive potential of esculetin in DMBA-induced oral carcinogenesis.

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