Modulation of intestinal environment by prebiotic germinated barley foodstuff prevents chemo-induced colonic carcinogenesis in rats.
Butyrate was shown to have a preventive effect on colon cancer in vivo. Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) was in a prebiotic stage and had the potency to attenuate mucosal inflammation and to increase fecal butyrate production in colitis. This study aimed to determine whether the GBF treatment in a colon cancer model had the potency to suppress colon cancer. After a pre-feeding of either a control or a GBF diet for two weeks, male F344 rats received subcutaneous injections of azoxymethane twice, at a dose level of 15 mg/kg body weight. The injections were administered once a week for 2 weeks (n=10/group). Four weeks after that, the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and heat shock protein (HSP) 25-positive cells in colonic mucosa were observed histologically. The mRNA level of slc5a8 was evaluated by in situ hybridization. Colonic mucosal beta-catenin was determined by Western blotting. Cecal short chain fatty acids, beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase were also determined. The results showed that GBF treatment significantly decreased the number of ACF and beta-catenin formations in the colonic mucosa. GBF significantly increased the production of slc5a8, which is a tumor suppressor gene, as well as the cecal butyrate content and beta-glucosidase activity. beta-glucuronidase activity remained at the same level in GBF and control subjects. The number of HSP25-positive cells in GBF was higher than that in the control group, although it did not reach significant difference. In conclusion, GBF showed anti-tumorigenicity in the AOM rat model. Changes in the colonic environment featured through the increase of butyrate production were found. Although a more detailed study is required, this study showed the promising anti-neoplastic effects of prebiotic treatment.
Kanauchi
Osamu
O
Central Laboratories for Frontier Technology, Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd., Yokohama, Japan. kanauchio@kirin.co.jp
Mitsuyama
Keiichi
K
Andoh
Akira
A
Iwanaga
Toshihiko
T
D000818:Animals; D001397:Azoxymethane; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018525:Germination; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000378:metabolism; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D001467:Hordeum; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000502:physiology
D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C486114:Hspb1 protein, rat; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D005966:Glucuronidase; D001397:Azoxymethane