The Effect of Melatonin and Zinc Application in Rats Induced Mammary Carcinoma with DMBA on Lipid Peroxidation

Mammary cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, is one of the problems of global public health. It is argued that anti estrogenic agents such as melatonin will lead to a new aspect in treatment of breast cancer. In addition, zinc, which plays a crucial role in the etiology of cancer, is vital for many cellular processes, and an important trace mineral. Trace elements are regarded as multiple anti-cancer agents that regulate various biological mechanisms. METHODS: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of melatonin and zinc application on lipid peroxidation in female rats with DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthrancene) -induced mammary carcinoma. The study groups are composed of control, DMBA control and treatment (zinc, melatonin and zinc+melatonin) groups. Female rats (except the control group) were given a strong carcinogen DMBA. After tumor formation, zinc and melatonin were administered to the treatment groups at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks. Four weeks later, rats were euthanized taking blood from their hearts under anesthesia and uterus tissue were taken. MDA as an indicator of lipid peroxidation and GSH levels as an indicator of antioxidant activity in uterus tissue samples were determined by spectrophotometric method. RESULTS: The highest level of MDA found in uterus tissue was obtained (129,94±33,80 nmol/g tissue) in the DMBA control group (P<0,05). MDA levels of the uterus tissue significantly decreased (66,01±12,70 nmol/g tissue) in the zinc+melatonin group (P<0,05). The lowest GSH level found in uterus tissue was obtained in the DMBA control group (14,97±2,30 μmol/g protein). Furthermore, the highest increase was found in the zinc + melatonin group (27,57±6,12 μmol/g protein). CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that supplementation of zinc+melatonin suppressed the lipid peroxidation in rat with mammary carcinoma.