In vivo, effects of combined treatment of female mice with Phoenix dactylifera extract and doxorubicin on reducing neighboring cell death during hepatic cancer therapy

The extract of date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera) was orally administered or combined with 0.026 mg/ml water of doxorubicin (Dox) once every 7 days for 30 days to female mice to determine their abilities as anti-cancer effects using real-time PCR technique and histopathological examination to evaluate the apoptosis in the liver of treated mice. Mice treated with Agwa date extract (ADE) in combination with doxorubicin (Dox) showed high cancer cell apoptosis with healthy normal cells, while mice treated only with ADE showed a mild apoptosis process, indicating that ADE can protect the healthy tissue from the Dox chemotherapy side effects while revealing the apoptotic process of the hepatic cancer tissue. Also, mice treated with ADE and then Dox exhibited normal histology of the hepatic cords, portal triads, and central veins. Therefore, date fruits can be used as safe, edible natural resources and nutritional supplements during Dox chemotherapy to alleviate the side effects of Dox.