Protective role of vanadium on the early process of rat mammary carcinogenesis by influencing expression of metallothionein, GGT-positive foci and DNA fragmentation.

Vanadium, a dietary micronutrient, is now proving to be a promising anti-tumour agent. The present study was conducted to ascertain its anti-neoplastic potential against an experimental mammary carcinogenesis. Female Sprague-Dawley rats at 50 days of age were treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene (DMBA; 0.5 mg per 100 g body weight) by a single tail vein injection in an oil emulsion. Vanadium (ammonium monovanadate) at a concentration of 0.5 p.p.m. was supplemented in the drinking water and given ad libitum to the experimental group immediately after the carcinogen treatment and it continued until the termination of the study (24 weeks for histological, immunological and biochemical observations and 35 weeks for morphological findings). It was found that vanadium treatment brought about substantial protection against DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis. This was evident from histological findings that showed substantial repair of hyperplastic lesions following supplementation of vanadium alone. There was a significant reduction in incidence (P<0.05), total number, multiplicity (P<0.01), size of palpable mammary tumours and delay in mean latency period of tumour appearance (P<0.001) following vanadium supplementation compared to the DMBA control. The immunohistochemical localization of metallothionein (a prognostic marker for breast cancer) showed reduced expression with vanadium treatment. Further, DNA fragmentation in the mammary tissue of the vanadium-treated group indicated apoptosis. In this group, vanadium also caused a significant decrease in the number (P<0.002) and focal area (P<0.05) of gamma-glutaminetranspeptidase-positive hepatic foci. The results clearly show the anti-neoplastic potential of vanadium.