title: Role of yoghurt in the prevention of colon cancer.
abstract: The beneficial effect of yoghurt consumption on health and on the improvement of the mucosal immune system is well established, as is the diet-associated risk of colon cancer. In an experimental model in BALB/c mice we demonstrated that yoghurt added to the diet for 10 consecutive days, with the procedure repeated each 10 days for 6 months, inhibited the development of a colorectal carcinoma induced by 1,2 dimethylhydrazine (DMH). The immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in the inhibition of tumour growth by yoghurt were also examined in these studies. We determined B lymphocytes IgA(+) and IgG(+), as well as CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the large intestine. We measured cellular apoptosis and the cytokines TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-10. An increase in the number of IgA(+) (P<0.01) was observed, but not in IgG(+) (P<0.01), or in the CD4(+) population (P<0.01) in the mice treated with DMH and yoghurt. While in the group with the carcinogen there was an enhancement in the IgG(+) B cells (P<0.01) and CD8(+) T cells (P<0.01). Yoghurt increased the number of apoptotic cells and induced IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha cytokine release, their production being regulated by an increase in IL-10 (P<0.001). We demonstrated that yoghurt may exert antitumour activity by a decrease in the inflammatory immune response mediated by IgA(+) increase, apoptosis induction and IL-10 release.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Inmunología, Instituto de Microbiología, Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina. perdigon@cerela.org.ar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perdigón
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Moreno de LeBlanc
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valdez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rachid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015014:Yogurt / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D016753:Interleukin-10