Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant cancer of the bone identified by the direct formation of osteoid tissue or immature bone by cancer cells. The liver and kidneys represent two major secondary organs to which osteosarcoma metastasizes. In this study, we assessed Shilajit, a phytomineral diffusion traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine, for its possible protective effects against metastasis induced liver and kidney damages in an osteosarcoma rat model. Osteosarcoma rats displayed typical dysregulation of serum levels of hepatic and renal functional markers (p < 0.05) including aspartate aminotransferase (AST)* and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total proteins, albumin, bilirubin, creatinine, urea, and uric acid. Changes in functional markers were also positively correlated with marked histopathological alterations in liver and kidney tissues. Whereas Shilajit's treatment of osteosarcoma rates in combination with CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy drug cocktail significantly (p < 0.05) reversed the studied functional markers to their near-normal levels. Co-treatment of shilajit and drug cocktails also markedly alleviated histopathological changes in liver and kidney tissues. Correlation co-efficient analysis of hepatic and renal functional markers revealed a significant inter-association among these markers. Collectively, present data indicate that shilajit may potentiate the effects of chemotherapy drugs and mitigate the metastasis-induced liver and kidney damage in osteosarcoma. Thus, the findings of this study substantiate the beneficial health effects of shilajit and promote its regular consumption.
Keywords: Shilajit, Osteosarcoma, Liver, Kidney, Histology, Metastasis
Abbreviations: CMF, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5, fluorouracil; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; OS, osteosarcoma; LDS, low dose shilajit; HDS, high dose shilajit
Author Biography
Ebtihaj Jambi, aDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 42695, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
bKing Fahad Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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