Chemopreventive Efficacy of Thymoquinone in Chemically Induced Urinary Bladder Carcinogenesis in Rat

Figure 6

Photomicrograph of urinary bladder at week 12 from groups (G1-G4 are used for simplicity in the photomicrograph). G1, negative control group receiving only water for 12 weeks, demonstrates no prominent lesions, apparent by typical transitional epithelium (EP), with standard loose connective tissue of lamina propria (LP) which contain some blood vessels (BV), and normally oriented smooth muscle bundles (SM). G2, positive control group receiving N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) for 9 weeks, shows significant high grade of epithelial dysplasia (ED), together with papillary-like growth in the lumen (PG). The section also reveals infiltration growth toward the submucosa (IG), in addition to the present of some inflammatory cells (IF) within the lamina propria and pinkish proteinaceous materials within the lumen (yellow arrow). G3, preventive group receiving BBN for 9 weeks with thymoquinone 25 mg/kg for 10 weeks, displays low-grade epithelial hyperplasia (HP), together with significant area of urothelial dysplasia (yellow arrows); in addition, there is clear vacuolar degeneration within the dysplastic urothelial cells. Presence of pinkish sloughed epithelial cells mixed with fluid in the lumen; also, there is an evidence of smooth muscle fiber proliferation (SM), with vascular congestion (BV). G4, preventive group receiving BBN for 9 weeks with thymoquinone 50 mg/kg for 10 weeks, expresses the presence of low-grade epithelial dysplasia (ED) together with significant acute cellular swelling (CS) within the dysplastic epithelia, in addition to the presence of some newly formed blood vessels within the submucosa (BV). Moreover, the section shows mild smooth muscle fiber proliferation (SM). H&E. Scale bars: 4 mm.