• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6225-6229
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• 2015

Faecal pH and cholate are two important factors that can affect colon tumorigenesis, and can be modified by diet. In this study, the effects of two Chinese traditional cooking oils (pork oil and canola/rapeseed oil) on the pH and the cholic acid content in feces, in addition to colon tumorigenesis, were studied in mice. Kunming mice were randomized into various groups; negative control group (NCG), azoxymethane control group (ACG), pork oil group (POG), and canola oil Ggroup (COG). Mice in the ACG were fed a basic rodent chow; mice in POG and COG were given 10% cooking oil rodent chow with the respective oil type. All mice were given four weekly AOM (azoxymethane) i.p. injections (10mg/kg). The pH and cholic acid of the feces were examined every two weeks. Colon tumors, aberrant crypt foci and organ weights were examined 32 weeks following the final AOM injection. The results showed that canola oil significantly decreased faecal pH in female mice (P<0.05), but had no influence on feces pH in male mice (P>0.05). Pork oil significantly increased the feces pH in both male and female mice (P<0.05). No significant change was found in feces cholic acid content when mice were fed 10% pork oil or canola oil compared with the ACG. Although Kunming mice were not susceptible to AOM-induced tumorigenesis in terms of colon tumor incidence, pork oil significantly increased the ACF number in male mice. Canola oil showed no influence on ACF in either male or female mice. Our results indicate that cooking oil effects faecal pH, but does not affect the faecal cholic acid content and thus AOM-induced colon neoplastic ACF is modified by dietary fat.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5331-5339
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• 2013

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death, both in men and women. This study investigated the effects of Amorphophallus campanulatus tuber methanolic extract (ACME) on aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, colonic cell proliferation, lipid peroxidative damage and the antioxidant status in a long term preclinical model of 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into six groups, viz., group I rats served as controls; group II rats treated as drug controls receiving 250 mg/kg body weight of ACME orally; group III rats received DMH (20 mg/kg body weight) subcutaneously once a week for the first 15 weeks; groups IV, V and VI rats received ACME along with DMH during the initiation, post-initiation stages and the entire period of the study, respectively. All the rats were sacrificed at the end of 30 weeks and the intestinal and colonic tissues from different groups were subjected to biochemical and histological studies. Administration of DMH resulted in significant ($p{\leq}0.05$) intestinal and colonic lipid peroxidation (MDA) and reduction of antioxidants such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-Stransferase and reduced glutathione. Whereas the supplementation of ACME significantly ($p{\leq}0.05$) improved the intestinal and colonic MDA and reduced glutathione levels and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in DMH intoxicated rats. ACME administration also significantly suppressed the formation and multiplicity of ACF. In addition, the DMH administered rats showed amplified expression of PCNA in the colon and decreased expression of this proliferative marker was clearly noted with initiation, post-initiation and entire period of ACME treatment regimens. These results indicate that ACME could exert a significant chemopreventive effect on colon carcinogenesis induced by DMH.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2012

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death in western countries or in the developed countries. Zinc intake has been associated with decreased risk of CRC. We investigated the effect of zinc on the formation of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) induced by azoxymethane followed by dextran sodium sulfate in mice. Five-week old ICR mice were fed with the different zinc levels (0.01, 0.1, 1 ppm) for 12 weeks. The numbers of ACF were measured in the colonic mucosa. The ACF number of HZn group was significantly low compared with LZn group or MZn group. Cytosolic superoxide dismutase activity was the highest in HZn group, while thiobarbituric acid reactive substance level for lipid peroxidation was the highest in LZn group. There was no difference in number of PCNA-positive proliferative cells among the groups. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were increased in HZn group compared with LZn group. The HZn group exhibited a decrease of ${\beta}$-catenin immunostaining areas compared with the LZn or MZn group. These findings indicate that dietary zinc might exert a protecting effect against colon carcinogenesis by inhibiting the development of ACF in the mice.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.74-74
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• 2002

Ethyl 3-(4'-geranyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-propenoate (EGMP) and ferulic acid (FA) have been shown to inhibit development of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the azoxymethane (AOM)-treated rat colon. In the present study, inhibitory effects of EGMP and FA on the post-initiation stage of AOM-induced colon carcinogenesis were studied in male ddY mice.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.28-28
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• 2001

Large bowel cancer is one of the major causes of increasing world-wide cancer mortality. Our group has found a variety of naturally-occurring and synthetic compounds which have chemopreventive potentials against the occurrence of large bowel cancers using animal models. Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) which develop in rodents soon after the carcinogen exposure have been used as a biomarker for screening effective agents for cancer chemoprevention.(omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.947-952
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of grape juice on colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and expression of NF-kB, iNOS and TNF-${\alpha}$. Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups: G1, control; G2, 15 mg/kg AOM; G3, 1% grape juice 2 weeks before AOM; G4, 2% grape juice 2 weeks before AOM; G5, 1% grape juice 4 weeks after AOM; G6, 2% grape juice 4 weeks after AOM; G7, 2% grape juice without AOM. Histological changes and aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were studied, while RNA expression of NF-kB, TNF- and iNOS was evaluated by qPCR. Results: The number of ACF was higher in G2, and G4 presented a smaller number of crypts per focus than G5 (p=0.009) and G6. Small ACF (1-3) were more frequent in G4 compared to G2, G5 and G6 (p=0.009, p=0.009 and p=0.041, respectively). RNA expression of NF-kB was lower in G3 and G4 compared to G2 (p=0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). A positive correlation was observed between TNF-${\alpha}$ and NF-kB gene expression (p=0.002). In conclusion, the administration of 2% grape juice before AOM reduced the crypt multiplicity, attenuating carcinogenesis. Lower expression of NF-kB was observed in animals exposed to grape juice for a longer period of time, regardless of concentration.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2477-2483
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• 2014

Azoxymethane (AOM) is a potent genotoxic carcinogen which specifically induces colon cancer. Hyperlipidemia and diabetes have several influences on colon cancer development, with genetic and environmental exposure aspects. Here, we investigated plasma lipid and glucose concentrations in Kunming mice randomized into four groups; control (no AOM or oil exposure), AOM control, AOM + pork oil, and AOM + canola oil. Aberrant crypt foci (ACF), plasma cholesterol, plasma triglyceride, plasma glucose and organ weight were examined 32 weeks after AOM injection. Results revealed that AOM exposure significantly increased ACF number, plasma triglyceride and glucose level. Further, male mice displayed a much higher plasma triglyceride level than female mice in the AOM control group. Dietary fat significantly inhibited AOM-induced hypertriglyceridemia, and canola oil had stronger inhibitory effect than pork oil. AOM-induced hyperglycemia had no sex-difference and was not significantly modified by dietary fat. However, AOM itself not change plasma cholesterol level. AOM significantly increased liver and spleen weight in male mice, but decreased kidney weight in female mice. On the other hand, mice testis weight decreased when fed canola oil. AOM could induce colorectal carcinogenesis, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia in Kunming mice at the same time, with subsequent studies required to investigate their genome association.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1023-1035
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) during chemically-induced rat multi-step colon carcinogenesis with or without the treatment with a specific cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor drug (celecoxib). Two experiments were performed, the first, a short term 12 week colon carcinogenesis bioassay in which only surrogate markers for colon cancer, aberrant crypt foci (ACF) lesions, were formed. The other experiment was a medium term colon cancer rat assay in which tumors had developed after 32 weeks. Treatment with celecoxib lowered the numbers of ACF, as well as the tumor volumes and multiplicities after 32 weeks. Immunohistochemical proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling indexes LI (%) were downregulated after treatment by celecoxib. Also different cell surface antigens known to associate with CSCs such as the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), CD44 and CD133 were compared between the two experiments and showed differential expression patterns depending on the stage of carcinogenesis and treatment with celecoxib. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that the numbers of CD133 cells were increased in the colonic epithelium after 12 weeks while those of CD44 but not CD133 cells were increased after 32 weeks. Moreover, aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 activity levels in the colonic epithelium (a known CSC marker) detected by ELISA assay were found down-regulated after 12 weeks, but were up-regulated after 32 weeks. The data have also shown that the protective effect of celecoxib on these specific markers and populations of CSCs and on other molecular processes such as apoptosis targeted by this drug may vary depending on the genetic and phenotypic stages of carcinogenesis. Therefore, uncovering these distinction roles of CSCs during different phases of carcinogenesis and during specific treatment could be useful for targeted therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4051-4055
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• 2012

Functional foods include antioxidant nutrients which may protect against many human chronic diseases by combating reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon tumors in rats as an in vivo experimental model. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats (4 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 groups containing 10 rats per group, and were treated with either AOM, PPE, or PPE plus AOM or injected with 0.9% physiological saline solution as a control. At 8 weeks of age, the rats in the AOM and PPE plus AOM groups were injected with 15 mg AOM/kg body weight, once a week for two weeks. After the last AOM injection, the rats were continuously fed ad-libitum their specific diets for another 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment (i.e. at the age of 4 months), all rats were killed and the colon tissues were examined microscopically for lesions suspected of being preneoplastic lesions or tumors as well as for biochemical measurement of oxidative stress indices. The results revealed a lower incidence of aberrant crypt foci in the PPE plus AOM administered group as compared to the AOM group. In addition, PPE blocked the AOM-induced impairment of biochemical indicators of oxidative stress in the examined colonic tissue homogenates. The results suggest that PPE can partially inhibit the development of colonic premalignant lesions in an AOM-induced colorectal carcinogenesis model, by abrogating oxidative stress and improving the redox status of colonic cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer is a very prevalent diagnosed cancer. The current study was performed in order to examine the role of BRAE (Basella rubra aqueous extract) in regulating aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis in a colon carcinogenesis model in male Wistar rats. Rats were randomly allocated into six groups. Group I served as control, and group II acted as a drug control administered BRAE (250mg/kg b.w.) orally for 30 weeks. Rats in group III-VI were given subcutaneous injections of DMH (25mg/kg b.w. weekly) for 15 weeks to initiate colon carcinogenesis. Those in group IV and VI were administered BRAE along with DMH injections. Rats in group V were administered with BRAE after cessation of DMH injection. After 30 weeks of experimental period colons were obtained from experimental groups and analyzed for ACF incidence, argyrophilic nucleolar organizing region-associated proteins (AgNOR) count, histopathological and immunohistochemical changes. Only in DMH exposed groups were ACF and AgNOR numbers increased. Administration of BRAE appreciably decreased the numbers of ACF and AgNOR in BRAE treated groups. Histopathological findings revealed a high level of dysplastic changes with decreased number of goblet cells found only in only DMH injected rats. Administration of BRAE in treated group rats reversed these changes. Expression markers for cell proliferation (PCNA and Ki67) were elevated in DMH treated rats, but reduced with BRAE treatement. This expression was reversed with apoptosis markers (p53 and Caspase-3). Thus the results results of the present study were found to be significant and confirmed the potential efficacy of BRAE against colon carcinogenesis.