The Protective Effect Of SPIRULINA PLATENSIS Against MAMMARY Tumors Induction By Dimethylbenz(A)Anthracene In Sprague- Dawley Female Rats

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer death in women. Despite extensive studies, the precise mechanisms of breast carcinogenesis remain unclear. One of the reasons for this is due, at least in part, to a lack of a suitable animal model, which can closely mimic the breast carcinogenesis in normal situations without using chemical carcinogens. Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) was used to developed mammary gland carcinogenesis in an animal model and succeeded in inducing mammary cancer in a relatively short time (∼6 months) in Sprague-Dawely female rats. The possible therapeutic and protective effects of Spirulina platensis in Sprague-Dawely female rats were investigated. The results showed significant increased androgen testosterone level and significant decreased estrogen level in mammary gland carcinogenesis. Histopathological examination revealed hyperplasia and dysplasia and fully developed carcinoma of various forms including cribriform, papillary and camedo types which were observed after 6 months. They ranged from well differentiated to poorly differentiated forms with predominantly infiltrating ductal carcinoma. In addition to the high incidence of carcinoma, there was also a peculiar unexplained allocation of mammary gland tumors in virgin female rats between the site of implantation and the location of tumors through the whole body, and the highest incidence of carcinogenesis was found to be in thoracic mammary gland. Both estrogen and testosterone have a role in mammary cancers. The study showed that both estrogen and testosterone were important in mammary cancer diagnosis. It is suggested that sex hormones have a role in late stages in breast carcinogenesis. Estradiol, which is the main form of estrogen, affects the different stage of mammary gland carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the results indicated that Spirulina platensis may have therapeutic and protective effects (30%) on mammary cancers of Sprague-Dawely female rats chemically induced by DMBA.