Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer
among women, and a leading cause of death
worldwide. Santolina chamaecyparissus L. is a
plant with multiple health benefits, including
anticancer and anti-diabetic properties.
This study aimed to assess the chemopreventive
effects of S. chamaecyparissus aqueous extract
(SCE) in an animal model of mammary
cancer. A total of 28 four-week-old female
Wistar rats were divided into four groups:
control, MNU-induced (IND), SCE-supplemented
(SCE), and SCE+IND. SCE was added
to drinking water (12.72 mg/kg body weight)
ad libitum. MNU was administered via the intraperitoneal
route at 50 days of age. Weekly
monitoring of body weight, food/drink intake,
humane endpoints, and number of mammary
tumours were recorded. Twenty weeks after
MNU administration, animals were sacrificed
by anaesthetic overdose and a necropsy was
performed. Blood samples were used to determine
blood count and serum biochemistry
analysis, while kidney and liver samples were
analysed for oxidative stress. Tumour samples
were collected for gene expression and
histology studies. SCE chemical composition
was analysed by LC-MS and contained 19
phenolic compounds, with the most abundant
being myricetin-O-glucuronide and 1,3-O-dicaffeoylquinic
acid. Two animals in the IND
group were sacrificed due to exceeding the
humane endpoint limits. SCE supplementation
delayed mammary tumour development,
reducing its volume and weight. SCE had a
positive impact on haematological parameters,
particularly the neutrophil-lymphocyte
ratio (P=0.026). No significant differences
were observed in serum biochemistry, except
for creatinine kinase MB, or in oxidative stress
markers. Gene expression analysis showed
significantly reduced VEGF expression levels
(P=0.0158) in tumours from SCE+IND. These
findings suggest that SCE is deserving of
further study to identify the individual compounds
and to understand its influence on animal
models during cancer development.
