Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Activity of Newly Synthesized Cobalt Complex of Coumarin Schiff Bases

The present study was designed to evaluate the newly synthesized cobalt complex of coumarin schiff base of vanillin (CCV) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced and phenobarbital promoted hepatocellular carcinoma in rats.

Hepatocelluar carcinoma was induced by DEN at a single dose of 200 mg/kg intraperitoneally followed by administration of phenobarbital (0.05% w/v) daily from 2^nd week through drinking water up to 16 successive weeks and synthesized CCV given orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg five days a week for the next 16 weeks. Cancer biomarker, oxidative stress and histopathological studies were carried out to assess the chemopreventive property of the compound.

vanillin Coumarin-cobalt complex at a dose of 10 mg/kg decreased the elevated level of alpha fetoprotein, biochemical markers and increases the reduced level of antioxidant enzymes (p<0.01).

The carcinogenic potential of DEN generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which modify cellular functions such as signal transduction pathways and expression of genes related to generation of mitogenic signals. These pathways lead to conversion of normal cell into cancer cell. The antitumor activity of coumarin is believed to be its metabolic product 7hydroxycoumarin. The studies showed that there is significant elevation of liver biochemical parameters in DEN+PB treated group. The vanillin coumarin-cobalt complex treated animals showed decreased the elevated levels of biochemical parameters and increase the decreased levels of antioxidant enzymes.

The present findings suggest that chemopreventive property of vanillin coumarin-cobalt complex could be due to decreased levels of cancer marker alpha fetoprotein and DNA content as well as scavenging of free radicals. Histopathological reports further confirms chemopreventive property.