荷葉萃取物抑制乙醯胺基芴致肝癌之作用

癌症預防為現代醫學預防之重要任務，亦是世界趨勢，因此尋找一些天然的預防物質為當今預防醫學的重要工作。有許多研究報告證實荷葉具有抗氧化活性、降血脂、減輕體重增加及減少發炎反應等作用，因此本實驗進一步評估荷葉是否具有抗癌方面之功效。本研究利用化學致癌物質乙醯胺基芴 (2-acetaminofluorene, AAF)誘導大鼠自發性產生肝癌的模式，評估台灣荷葉抑制大鼠肝癌之作用，並探討其中的相關機轉變化。在AAF動物模式之結果中發現，台灣荷葉可以減緩AAF誘導之肝癌發生與進展，而從其肝臟外觀、重量、切片與血清生化結果顯示，AAF成功誘導大鼠自發性發生肝癌，並且台灣荷葉有效地減緩肝癌的生成作用。台灣荷葉是透過增加肝臟之解毒功能，與增加肝臟的抗氧化能力，進而達到保護肝臟，抑制肝癌的發生。綜合以上結果說明台灣荷葉萃取物能夠透過增加抗氧化酵素活性、加強解毒酵素作用及減少發炎反應，達到改善血脂肪，減緩肝功能指標的上升，保護肝臟作用，進一步抑制肝癌的發生率。本研究成果可應用於健康食品之發展，減少肝癌之發生，以達預防醫學抗癌之作用。

Cancer prevention is an important task of modern medicine prevention is also a world trend, so look for some natural substances to prevent today''s important work on preventive medicine. Nelumbo Nucifera leaf extract (NLE) has been reported to exhibit several pharmacological effects, including antioxidant and hypolipidemic. It also possesses antiobesity and anti-inflammatory. In this study, we found that dietary administration of NLE had significantly suppressed 2-acetaminofluorene (AAF)-induced liver cancer incidence in wistar rats. Our results showed that AAF treatment led to a significant ameliorate liver appearance, liver weight, histological morphology and serum biomarkers for hepatic injury and hepatocellular carcinogenesis. The serum levels of some important enzymes in liver such as ALT, AST, γ-GT and AFP which were decreased by NLE treatment after AAF-induced HCC. NLE increased detoxification and antioxidant enzyme in liver of AAF-induced rat. These results indicated that the NLE might be a plausible treatment for patients with HCC.