Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Cancer-Induced Mice Treated with Ruta graveolens L. Stem Lectins

Free radicals are generated naturally in aerobic organisms as a result of mitochondrial activity. Normally, cells have many pathways for scavenging free radicals, but in certain pathologic processes, such as cancer, the development of free radicals increases, rendering it difficult to keep the system intact, resulting in oxidative stress. Ruta graveolens L. (Rue) is a plant widely used in traditional medicine, mostly as an anti-inflammatory; this has been linked to various organic components, such as Rutin, but no lectin tests in Rue stem have been conducted. The richest source for most lectins are the seeds or, more generally, the storage organs of plants. These are seeds as in most plants studied so far, but also roots, bark or leaves. Lectins are non-enzymatic, non-immune glycoproteins that can bind to simple carbohydrates, enabling them to bind selectively to malignant cells while killing them via apoptosis and reducing free radical levels. We aimed to classify rue stem lectins because they hadn't been studied before. The anticancer and antioxidant activity of these lectins was also investigated. Rue stem lectins were extracted using a saline solution and semipurified to obtain an enriched extract, which was then administered to nickel oxide-treated mice. Oxidative stress was quantified in the liver using the tiobarbituric acid (TBARS) method to quantify Malondialdehyde (MDA), the Griess method to quantify Nitrites, and the enzymatic activity of catalase. In this study, it was discovered that rue stem lectins are useful as a therapeutic auxiliar, despite the fact that their antioxidant activity ratio is limited, making them a prooxidant agent at high concentrations.