Abstract:
Objective The present study aims to evaluate the chemopreventive effect of celecoxib combined with tamoxifen on breast tumor induced by methylnitrosourea (MNU) in rats.
Methods A total of 140 SD female rats were injected with MNU to establish breast tumor models. The rats were divided subsequently into control, celecoxib, tamoxifen, and combination groups. The occurrence rates, volumes of breast tumor, and expression levels of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and c-erbB-2 were observed.
Results The tumor occurrence rates were lower in the celecoxib and tamoxifen groups than in the control group. The combination group exhibited the lowest tumor-occurrence rate. The tumor volumes of the celecoxib and tamoxifen groups were lower than that of the control group. The combination group had the least tumor volume. The positive rates of COX-2 and c-erbB-2 in the celecoxib and combination groups were lower than those in the control and tamoxifen groups (P < 0.05).
Conclusion The combination of celecoxib and tamoxifen can significantly suppress MNU-induced breast tumor in female rats.