Effect of soyabean feeding and vitamin C on experimental carcinogenesis: 5 biochemical changes in the liver of albino mice induced by feeding nitrite and dibutylamine

Experiments were planned to study the protective effect of soybean and vitamin C against the carcinogenicity induced the liver of mice by dibutylnitrosamine [DBNA] precursors; namely, dibutylamine [DBA] and sodium nitrite. The biochemical parameters chosen for the study were the total protein contents and some enzymes involved in the amino acid metabolism such as transaminases [GOT and GPT], total lipids, nucleic acids [DNA and RNA] levels and their rate of synthesis, as well as some enzymes involved in nucleic metabolism such as alkaline phosphate [ALK-phase], acid ribonuclease [acid RNase], 5-nucleotidase [%-Nase] and adenosine triphosphate [ATPase]. Glucose-6-phosphate [G-6-phase] activity level, which is a sensitive parameter for the hepatic cell injury, was also studied. The results indicated that the carcinogen dibutylnitrosamine [DBNA] can be formed, in vitro and in vivo, when dibutylamine [DBA] and sodium nitrite were present together. Oral administration of DBNA precursors induced many biochemical changes as indicated by elevation or decrease in the biochemical parameters studied. Nevertheless, mild autoclaved soybeans [SB] as well as ascorbic acid, showed a significant prophylactic effect against the action of DBNA precursors as indicated by the improvement of the changes in the biochemical parameters investigated in the present study