Antitumor Activities of the Typhonium flagelliforme Extract Combined with Natural Interferons of Canine and Feline in Mice with DMBA Induced Skin Tumors

Abstract

Indonesia has various plants with potential activities and uses as antitumor agents, one of which is Typhonium flagelliforme. This study aimed to examine in vivo the effects of combination therapy of T. flagelliforme leaf-ethanolic extract and natural interferon of canine or feline as an antitumor agent. In this study, 18 female mice of ddY strain induced with 7.12-dimethyl-benz(?)anthracene (DMBA) carcinogenic substance were divided into six treatment groups. All tumor tissues formed were collected and made for histopathological slides. The slides were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) procedure using antibodies for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Caspase-3. The macroscopic observations showed that the skin surface of the mice groups with tumors had alopecia with a reddish color. The microscopic observations showed three tumors types: anaplastic carcinoma, fibrosarcoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The mitotic, angiogenesis, PCNA and Caspase-3 tests showed significant differences among the groups administered with the single and combination test materials. The combination therapy of T. flagelliforme leaf-ethanolic extract and natural interferon can stabilize mice’s body weight, inhibit tumor growth, reduce mitosis and angiogenesis, and reduce PCNA and Caspase-3 expression.