Boron inhibits the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index, molybdenum containing proteins and ameliorates oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy and the main cause of mortality in patients with chronic liver diseases. This study reports the inhibitory effect of boron on HCC induced in rats by administering thioacetamide (TAA) (0.03%) in drinking water for 400days. Boron (4mg/kg body weight) was administered orally after induction of carcinoma. Treatment was continued for 122days, and cell proliferation, histology and biochemistry of treated and control group of rats were studied. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation, which increased in rats exposed to carcinogen, significantly decreased after boron treatment. PCNA index decreased from 80 in HCC rats to 32 after boron treatment. In the control group, it was 20. Boron caused a dose-dependent decrease in carcinogen-induced [(3)H]-thymidine uptake by the rat hepatocyte. It could partially reverse the activity of selected biochemical indicators of hepatic damage, oxidative stress, selenium and serum retinol, which are depleted in liver cancer, and improved overall health of animal. The study implicates the elevated levels of mammalian molybdenum Fe-S containing flavin hydroxylases, which increase the free radical production and oxidative stress, consequently causing increased hepatic cell proliferation in HCC, and reports boron to ameliorate these changes in liver cancer.