Inhibitory action of Piper betle on the initiation of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary carcinogenesis in rats.

When an aqueous extract of the leaves of Piper betle, a medicinal plant, was given orally at different dose levels during the initiation phase of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary carcinogenesis in rats, higher doses of the extract inhibited the emergence of tumors. However, when the extract was fed to the rats bearing DMBA-induced mammary tumors for 8 weeks, no appreciable degree of inhibition of tumor growth was noticed. Betel leaf extract at the dose levels used in the present study did not affect the body weight gain among rats.