BYBLOS, Lebanon—Wild Carrot oil (Daucus carota L. ssp. carota oil extract [DCOE]) has remarkable antitumor activity against DMBA-induced skin cancer compared with non-treated animals, according to the findings of new Lebanese study (Pharm Biol. 2011;49(9):955-61). Researchers investigated the chemopreventive effects of DCOE on 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced skin cancer in mice. DCOE was prepared by extracting the dried umbels with 50:50 acetone:methanol. Skin papilloma were initiated by DMBA and promoted by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorobol-13-acetate (TPA). The extract was administered to animals via gavage (0.02 mL of 100-percent oil), intraperitoneal (0.3 mL of 2-percent oil) and topical (0.2 mL of 5, 50 and 100-percent oil) routes for 20 weeks. Tumor appearance, incidence, yield and volume were compared with those of a non-treated control group.
Topical 100-percent treatment delayed tumor appearance, and inhibited tumor incidence and yield by 40 and 89 percent, respectively. Topical 50-percent treatment inhibited tumor incidence and yield by 30 and 83 percent, respectively, whereas the 5-percent treatment inhibited tumor yield by 36 percent. Tumor volume was decreased by 99, 91 and 70 percent following topical treatments with 100, 50 and 5 percent oil, respectively. Intraperitoneal treatment inhibited tumor yield by 43 percent, and decreased tumor volume by 85 percent, whereas gavage treatment showed minimal effects on both. Intraperitoneal and topical treatment decreased infiltration and hyperplasia with an increase in the level of hyperkeratosis.