Abstract

J. Abiodun Elegbede and Michael N. Gould

Perillyl alcohol and d-limonene are naturally occurring plant compounds that exhibited anticarcinogenic activities in mammary tumor models. The effects of these monoterpenes at the initiation stage of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis were investigated. Male F344 rats were fed Control or treatment diets throughout the study and exposed to aflatoxin for 5 days. Three days after the last aflatoxin dose, blood and liver samples were obtained. Analysis of liver samples showed that both limonene and perillyl alcohol significantly inhibited (p<0.05) aflatoxin-DNA adducts formation in hepatocytes. The monoterpenes may have potential for use as chemopreventive agent against aflatoxin-induced liver cancer.