Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic extract of <i>Carica papaya</i> leaf on biochemical markers and serum level of IL-1β in breast cancer-induced Wistar Rats

The most frequent malignant tumor in women worldwide is breast cancer. Up to 36% of oncological patients are breast cancer patients. In 2020, an estimated 2.089 million women received a breast cancer diagnosis and 685,000 deaths globally. The treatment options that are currently available for breast cancer are not only expensive but are associated with severe side effects. This study was designed to investigate the effect of C. papaya on biochemical and serum level of IL-1β in DMBA-induced breast cancer in Wistar Rats. A total of 35 rats were used in the study. The rats were divided into seven (7) groups of five (5) rats each. They were induced with 30mg/kg body weight of DMBA and observed for 14 days for signs of breast cancer development, and this was confirmed by the presence of lump in the breast and also by measuring the size of the lump. The experimental groupings are: Group I: Normal Control, Group II: Positive Control (Induced with cancer but no treatment), Group III: Negative Control (Cancer + doxorubicin), Group IV, V, and VI represent breast cancer rats treated with leaf extract of Carica papaya (300mg, 600mg, and 1200mg respectively). Group VII represents cancerous rats, treated with 30mg of doxorubicin and 600mg of Carica papaya. This treatment was conducted in 14 days. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for laboratory analysis, using standard techniques. The results indicated a statistically significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum level of IL-1β in all treated groups in a dose-dependent manner. Moreso, it was demonstrated that C. papaya does not increase liver enzymes and also have protective effect on the kidneys. It could be concluded that C. papaya possesses immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and could be used in the management of breast cancer.