Antioxidant Activity of Ethanol Extract of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) and Its Effect on the Expression of P53 in Breast Cancer Rat Model

Abstract

: Breast cancer is a type of cancer with a high incidence in Indonesia, ranking second highest after cervical cancer. The search for effective therapeutic agents for breast cancer, including the investigations of natural agents, still needs to be done. The study was conducted to evaluate the anticancer effect of seed pods extracts of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L., Moech) which is traditionally used in the treatment of various diseases. The objectives of the study were to determine the antioxidant activity of okra seed pods extracts and evaluate the effect of the extract on tumor severity in the benzo(α)pyrene induced rat breast cancer model. The experiment was carried out using a completely randomized design, with 5 treatments and 6 replications. These treatments were: 2 control groups (K0 = normal group; K1 = breast cancer model rat due to benzo(α)pyrene injection), and 3 extract groups (breast cancer model rats were given okra seed pods extract dose of 150, 300, and 450 mg /kg body weight, respectively). The results showed that okra fruit ethanol extract has a strong antioxidant activity with IC50 value = 68.79, but the extract has not been able to trap free radicals due to the induction of benzo(α)pyrene in test animals. Immunohistochemical examination showed that there was no significant difference and effect between ethanol extract of okra fruit and wild type p53 expression in test animals induced with benzo(α)pyrene cancer growth compounds.