Effects of garlic and black grape extracts on the activity of adenosine deaminase from cancerous and noncancerous human urinary bladder tissues

Aim Possible effects of garlic (Allium sativum) and black grape (Fructus vitis minuta) with known antioxidant potential on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities were investigated in cancerous and noncancerous human bladder tissues. Methods The effects of garlic and black grape extracts on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities were measured in 20 pairs of cancer and adjacent normal human bladder tissues with and without pre-incubation with garlic and black grape extracts at different concentrations. Results No significant difference was observed between ADA activities in cancerous and non cancerous bladder tissues without plant extract (5.85 +/- 3.78 versus 7.63 +/- 2.88, respectively). At the 1/3 and 1/1 plant extract/bladder tissue homogenate ratios, the garlic extract completely abolished the ADA activity in both cancerous and noncancerous tissues. At the 1/3 plant extract/bladder tissue homogenate ratio, the black grape extract decreased the activity significantly as compared to without extract (2.01 +/- 1.30 versus 5.85 +/- 3.78; p < 0.05 for cancerous tissue and 2.10 +/- 1.66 versus 7.63 +/- 2.88; p < 0.05 for noncancerous tissue) and, at the 1/1 plant extract/bladder tissue homogenate ratio, completely abolished the activity. Conclusion Our results show that garlic and black grape have potential to inhibit ADA activity in both cancerous and adjacent normal human bladder tissues.We suggest that this might be rational basis for the uses of garlic and black grape in the complementary therapy of urinary bladder cancer.