Effects of elephant garlic volatile oil (Allium ampeloprasum) and T-2 toxin on murine skin.

Effects of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) volatile oil (GVO) and trichothecene (T-2) toxin were studied in Swiss albino mice. The animals were 1) topically applied GVO, 2) topically applied T-2 toxin, 3) topically applied GVO followed by T-2 toxin (GVO/T-2), and 4) T-2 toxin application followed by GVO (T-2/GVO) on the right footpad. All animals were observed by Langerhans cell enumeration and pathological changes of the footpad on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The number of Langerhans cells in the GVO treated group (1,097 +/- 33/mm2 to 1,624 +/- 19/mm2) was not significantly different when compared with the corresponding control left footpad (1,143 +/- 33/mm2 to 1,674 +/- 21/mm2). Langerhans cells density in T-2 toxin treated group (629 +/- 29/mm2to 1,090 +/- 31/mm2) was reduced by 20-35% of the opposite control footpad (962 +/- 40/mm2 to 1,392 +/- 29/mm2). Furthermore, GVO/T-2 and T-2/GVO treated mice showed a decrease in Langerhans cell number than a single T-2 toxin treated group. While Langerhans cells in T-2 toxin, GVO/T-2 and T-2/GVO groups revealed a smaller cell size with shortening dendritic processes when compare to the normal control group. Histopathological findings of the footpad skin in T-2 toxin treated group revealed epidermal desquamation and necrosis with edema and inflammatory cells infiltration. While GVO/T-2 and T-2/GVO showed a similar sequence but a lesser severe degree. These findings suggested that GVO both in pre- and posttreatment could protect T-2 toxin induced epidermal damage in a mouse footpad.

Promotion of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis by dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT).

A study of the effect in rats of dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) on hepatocarcinogenesis that is initated by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). In the first experiment, Buffalo rats were given a single oral dose of AFB1 (5 mg/kg) followed by dietary DDT (100 ppm) for 20 weeks. Neoplastic nodules were observed in 1 of the 14 AFB1-exposed rats, compared with 3 of the 19 rats in the AFB1/DDT group. In the second experiment, Wistar rats were given dietary aflatoxin B, (4 ppm) for 6 weeks followed by a 6-week exposure to DDT (500 ppm) in a plain semisynthetic diet. Five altered hepatic foci were displayed by seven rats in the AFB1 group, compared with 6 foci and one neoplastic focus in five of the AFB1/DDT rats at 32 weeks. Subsequently, the AFB1 group produced 8 (27.5%) tumor-bearing rats while 10 of the 28 (35.7%) AFB1/DDT-exposed rats were tumor-bearing by 60 weeks. The results suggest that DDT slightly potentiates hepatocarcinogenesis induced by either a single dose of AFB1 or short term-dietary AFB1.