Parichehr Hanachi - Department of Biomedical Sciences, Woman Research Center, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Fauziah Othman - Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia Serdang, Malaysia
Gholamreza Motalleb - Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia Serdang, Malaysia

Objective(s) The effect of Berberis vulgaris aqueous extract in hepatocarcinogenic rats was studied to investigate the apoptotic and sodium, potassium elements properties. A loss of both intracellular potassium and sodiumoccurs when apoptotic cells shrink and prior to the loss of membraneintegrity. Materials and Methods Forty-eight Sprague dawley rats were randomly divided into ۲ groups, normal and cancerous. Each group was divided into ۴ subgroups. The first subgroup acted as normal control while the others were treated with ۲۵, ۵۰ and ۱۰۰ mg/kg of Berberis vulgaris extract (BVE) and respectively considered as NC, NC۲۵, NC۵۰ and NC۱۰۰. The first subgroup of cancerous rats acted as cancer control while the others were treated with ۲۵, ۵۰ and ۱۰۰ mg/kg of BVE and considered as C, C۲۵, C۵۰ and C۱۰۰. Ion selective electrode (ISE) method was used to measure the level of sodium, potassium, and chloride. TUNEL assay used for the detection of apoptosis cells. Results Microscopic observations of the TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells revealed a significant difference (P<۰.۰۵) between cancer control (C) and normal control (NC) group. The results indicated that increasing concentration of Berberis vulgaris aqueous extract in cancerous   treated groups (C۲۵, C۵۰ and C۱۰۰) showed an increasing considerabl changes (P<۰.۰۵) of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the cancer control group (C). Sodium and chloride levels were significantly different (P<۰.۰۵) in cancer control group (C) compared to normal control group (NC). The results suggested that apoptotic cells level was increased with the BVE concentration in cancerous groups. Conclusion The Berberis vulgaris extract shows to play a prominent role in promoting apoptosis on the treatment and it is dose dependent.

Apoptosis, Berberis vulgaris, Elements, Hepatocarcinogenesis