Proanthocyanidin: An interesting option as cisplatinalternative in solid tumor treatment

Cisplatin is an approved chemotherapeutic for treating many solid tumors, but it can cause toxicities e.g. nephrotoxicity, which restrict its application. Therefore, researchers are looking for safer and more effective cisplatinalternatives. Although proanthocyanidins’ protective effects against many cisplatin-induced toxicities have been published and their anticancer activity has been investigated in some research papers, their anticancer efficacy compared to cisplatin has not been investigated yet, making them an interesting candidate. So, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSE) in treating solid tumor-bearing mice compared to cisplatin. Sixty adult female Swiss albino mice were grouped (ten mice/group): Normal, EAC (1x106 Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells/mouse/once; subcutaneous), EAC+Cisplatin (3.5 mg/kg/once, intraperitoneal), and EAC+50 or 75 or 100 mg/kg/day, oral for 13 days). Blood, livers, and tumors were obtained, and tumor weights, volumes, and hepatic concentrations of malondialdehyde, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and nitric oxide were estimated. Serum albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, triglycerides, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine phosphokinase were assessed. Survival and lifespan indexes were calculated. GSE treatment boosted antioxidant levels, improved biochemical changes, protected liver and heart tissues from tumor-induced damage, reduced tumor size, and increased median survival time (MST) and percentage increase in lifespan (%ILS). GSE at 100 mg/kg was a more effective antitumor than cisplatin. Finally, our results recommend GSE as a potentially effective cisplatin-therapeutic alternative against solid tumors after more research.