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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Combinatorial effect of fish oil and tamoxifen in 7,12 dimethyl benz(a) anthracene DMBA induced rat mammary carcinogenesis
Caroline Paul Mari and Mirunalini Sankaran
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 283-292
Received on: 13/11/2025
Revised on: 23/12/2025
Accepted on: 12/01/2026
Published on: 31/01/2026
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Caroline Paul Mari and Mirunalini Sankaran ( 2026).
Combinatorial effect of fish oil and tamoxifen in 7,12 dimethyl benz(a) anthracene DMBA induced rat mammary carcinogenesis
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 1), 283-292.
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Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women. Tamoxifen (TAM), a selective Estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), is extensively used in breast cancer therapy; however, its prolonged use is often associated with adverse metabolic and hepatic effects. Marine fish oil (FO), rich in omega-3 fatty acids, exhibits potent antioxidant and therapeutic properties. The present study examined the therapeutic efficacy of fish oil (FO) alone and in combination with tamoxifen (TAM) in attenuating 7,12 Dimethyl Benz(a) anthracene DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female Sprague–Dawley rats. Mammary tumors were induced by a single oral dose of DMBA (25 mg/kg body weight). After an eight-week tumor development period, tumor-bearing rats were treated with Fish oil FO (0.5 mL) alone or in combination with Tamoxifen TAM at doses of 50 µg/kg and 100 µg/kg body weight. Plasma and tissue samples were analyzed for carcinogenic, biochemical, antioxidant parameters, and histopathological evaluations of the mammary, liver, kidney, and uterus tissues were performed using Hematoxylin and Eosin staining(H&E). DMBA-induced rats showed a significant reduction in final body weight and oxidative stress. Treatment with FO and TAM significantly increased body weight and restored antioxidant defense systems compared with the DMBA control group. Histopathological analysis revealed severe structural abnormalities in the DMBA group, whereas considerable improvement in tissue architecture was observed in the treated groups, particularly in the FO and TAM-treated group. Overall, fish oil administered with tamoxifen confers enhanced therapeutic and antioxidant benefits against DMBA-induced rat mammary carcinoma and improves systemic tissue integrity, highlighting its potential role in breast cancer treatment.
Keywords
Breast cancer, Tamoxifen, Fish oil, DMBA-induced carcinogenesis, Antioxidants. Estrogen.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
