• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2000

Epidemiological and experimental studies provide evidences that diet and intestinal microflora play an important role in colon carcinogenesis. In recent years, it has been suggested that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used to ferment dairy products have an inhibitory effect on the colon cancer. This study was designed to determine the effect of Bifidobacterium longum HY8001 (Bif) and Lactobacillus acidophilus HY2104(Lac) of Korean origin on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colonic preneoplastic lesions such as aberrant crypt foci(ACF) formation and cecal pH. At five weeks of age, Spraque-Dawley rats were divided at random into four (AOM alone, Bif, ,Lac, and Bif+Lac) groups. Animals were weighed weekly and oral administration of LAB cultures were performed daily until the termination of the study. Two weeks later, all animals were given a subcutaneous injection of AOM dissolved in normal saline at a dose of 15 mg/kg of body weight once per week for 2 weeks. All rats were necropsied 7 weeks after the last AOM injection , and the ACF were visualize under light microscopy in the formalin-fixed, unsectioned methylene blue-stained colons. The total number of aberrant crypt in Bif, Lac, and Bif+Lac groups were significantly lower than that of the AOM alone group and the percentage of inhibitions weas 35.0, 45.6%, respectively. Significant inhibition (p<0.001) in the total number of ACF was also observed in LAB treated groups (Bif , Lac, and Bif+Lac group by 3003, 38.6, and 41.2%, respectively). Furthermore, cecal pH appeared to significantly decrease by LAB administration. The results of present study provide some evidences for potential colon tumor-inhibitory properties of lactic cultures and fermented dairy products.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.154-161
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• 2001

In recent years, colon cancer has been reported to be one of the most important causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in Korea. Epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used to ferment dairy products inhibits colon carcinogenesis. The present study was designed to determine whether the colon cancer inhibitory effect of LAB (Bifidobacterium longum Hy8001; Bif and Lactobacillus acidophilus HY2l04; Lac) of Korean origin, is associated with intestinal microflora composition and certain enzyme activity in rats treated with azoxymethane (AOM). At five weeks of age, SD rats were divided at random into four (AOM alone, Bif, Lac, and Bif+Lac) groups. Oral administration of lactic acid bacteria cultures were performed daily until the termination of the study. Two weeks later all animals were given a subcutaneous injection of AOM dissolved in normal saline at a dose of 15 mg/kg of body weight once weekly for 2 weeks. Every two weeks for 10 weeks, five of the rats in each group were randomly chosen for fecal specimen collection. The fecal specimens were used for assay of $\beta$-glucuronidase and nitroreductase, and analysis of intestinal microflora composition. The activity of $\beta$-glucuronidase which plays an important role in the production of the carcinogenic metabolite of azoxymethane was remarkably increased in the AOM alone group after AOM injection and maintained the high level during the experiment. However, LAB inhibited the AOM-induced increase in $\beta$-glucuronidase activity. Nitroreductase activity decreased by 30-40% in LAB treated groups in comparison with that of the AOM alone group. The results of the present study suggest that LAB inhibits colon carcinogenesis by modulating the metabolic activity of intestinal micro-flora and improving the composition of intestinal microflora.