Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of malignancy in the liver. Autophagy was found to have a significant effect in controlling HCC. Anthocyanins, which are naturally occurring pigments in a variety of fruits and vegetables, have been thoroughly documented to be involved in a variety of bioactive activities and are widely employed for their antioxidant capabilities. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) extracted from Morus alba L. has promising antioxidant and anti-tumour activities. The current study aims to examine the protective action of C3G against hepatocellular carcinoma through the investigation of the autophagy protein ATG16L1 expression along with its related RNA molecules (hsa_circ_0001345 and miRNA106b) in Wistar rats. In vivo precancerous lesions (PCL) were induced using diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and acetamidofluorene (2-AAF). Rats were treated with C3G (10, 15, and 20 mg/kg; 4 times weekly) for 112 days (16 weeks). Liver function tests, alfa fetoprotein, ATG16L1 expression, hsa_circ_0001345, and miRNA106b differential expression were examined. Liver sections were examined by histological and immunohistochemical approaches. The current study's findings indicated that C3G administration protects against the negative effects of DEN-2-AAF on liver functions and liver histopathological sections, which nominated C3G as a potential prophylactic agent against HCC.
Keywords: autophagy; circular RNA; cyanidin-3-glucoside; hepatocellular carcinoma; micro RNA.