Carcinogenesis. 2006 Aug;27(8):1645-54. Epub 2006 Feb 25. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.), a potential chemopreventive agent for lung cancer. Banerjee S, Panda CK, Das S.

Department of Cancer Chemoprevention, Chittarajan National Cancer Institute, 37, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India.

Spices and flavoring plants part rich in supposedly health-promoting phytochemicals are currently receiving much attention as a possible source of cancer chemopreventive compounds. Clove, the sun-dried unopened flower bud from the plant Syzygium aromaticum L. is a commonly used spice and food flavor. In the present work we assess the chemopreventive potential of aqueous infusion of clove during benzo[a]pyrene (BP)induced lung carcinogenesis in strain A mice. Incidence of hyperplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma in situ evident in the carcinogen control group on the 8th, 17th and 26th weeks, respectively, were effectively reduced after treatment with clove infusion. Significant reduction in the number of proliferating cells and an increased number of apoptotic cells was also noted in these BP-induced lung lesions following clove treatment. Western blotting analysis revealed that clove infusion upregulates the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax, and downregulates the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in the precancerous stages. Expression of caspase 3 and its activation by clove infusion were evident from a very early stage of carcinogenesis (eighth week). Clove infusion was also found to downregulate the expression of some growthpromoting proteins, viz, COX-2, cMyc, Hras. The observations signify the chemopreventive potential of clove in view of its apoptogenic and anti-proliferative properties. Publication Types: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t PMID: 16501250 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2005 Jul-Sep;6(3):304-8. Anticarcinogenic effects of an aqueous infusion of cloves on skin carcinogenesis. Banerjee S, Das S.

Dept. of Cancer Chemoprevention, Chittarajan National Cancer Institute, 37 S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, West Bengal, India.

Spices and flavouring agents are now receiving increasing attention as many of them have been shown to have anticarcinogenic properties. Cloves, sun-dried unopened flower buds from the plant Syzygium aromaticum L, are commonly used as a spice and food flavour. The present study was designed to investigate the chemopreventive action of aqueous infusion of cloves on 9,10-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and croton oil induced skin carcinogenesis in Swiss mice. The results indicate protection against skin papilloma formation in a dose dependent manner. It has been shown that oral administration of aqueous infusions of clove at a dose of 100 microl/mouse/day not only delays the formation of papilloma but also reduces the incidence of papilloma as well as the cumulative number of papillomas per papilloma bearing mouse. Our observations suggest a promising role for cloves in restriction of the carcinogenesis process. Publication Types: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t PMID: 16235990 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]