Protective effect of a polyherbal preparation, Brahma rasayana against tumor growth and lung metastasis in rat prostate model system

Rasayanas are a group of herbal formulations and are used to improve health of the body. Recent studies have demonstrated the immunostimulatory and antioxidant activities of some of these rasayanas and their usefulness in tumor regression. The objective of the study is to evaluate Brahma rasayana for the inhibition of tumor development and prevention of metastasis in vivo using Copenhagen rats and MAT-LyLu cell model system. Copenhagen rats injected with MAT-LyLu cells were treated with Brahma rasayana once daily. This treatment was followed from the second day of cell inoculation until the end of the experiment. The study comprises a comparison of survival time, body weight, tumor incidence, tumor size, tumor weight, histopathological examination of the lung metastasis and serum testosterone levels between rasayana treated and control animals. Brahma rasayana treatment resulted in a 25-37% decrease in palpable tumor incidence, a delay of 1-2 weeks in the tumor occurrence, lower mean tumor volumes, by as much as 14-35% and significant reduction in tumor weight and lung metastasis in comparison to untreated controls. The Ayurvedic poly herbal preparation, Brahma rasayana may play a beneficial role in preventing tumor incidence, tumor growth and metastatic spread. These are inexpensive preparations that have little or no adverse side effects with a potential as lead chemopreventive compounds and which might prove useful for the treatment of disorders such as human prostate cancer.