Effects of feeding fresh garlic and garlic oil on detoxifying enzymes and micronuclei formation in rats treated with azoxymethane.

The effect of feeding a fresh garlic or garlic oil-supplemented diet was studied in rats for a period of 23 weeks with or without the treatment of a carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM), on the modulation of detoxification enzymes and micronuclei formation. The results showed that feeding fresh garlic or garlic oil-supplemented diets tended to reduce hepatic lipid peroxidation, though not to significant levels. Glutathione content was also not altered. The catalase activity in liver of rats fed a fresh garlic-supplemented diet was reduced compared to that of the control diet; however, the activity was not affected by AOM treatment. Ingestion of garlic caused a 40 percent increase in the hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity, whereas carcinogen treatment reduced it. The activity of hepatic glutathione-S-transferase was unaffected by the feeding regimen, while it was lowered in the garlic oil diet group treated with AOM. The gamma glutamyl transpeptidase activity was elevated more than sevenfold, in the kidney of rats treated with AOM, while it was reduced almost to half when the AOM-treated rats were fed fresh garlic or garlic oil. Micronuclei formation was increased fourfold, in rats exposed to AOM whereas the increase was reduced to half when AOM-injected groups had either fresh garlic or garlic oil in their diet. From these studies, it is concluded that long-term feeding of garlic, fresh or oil, reduced the toxic effect of AOM in rats.