title: 3,3'-diindolylmethane attenuates colonic inflammation and tumorigenesis in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  3,3-Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a major in vivo product of acid-catalyzed oligomerization of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) derived from Brassica food plants. Although DIM is known as a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic phytochemical, the effects of DIM on inflammation in vivo are still unknown. In the present study we investigated the antiinflammatory effects of DIM on experimental colitis and colitis-associated colorectal carcinogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine if DIM has an antiinflammatory effect in vivo, we examined the therapeutic effects of DIM in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced experimental colitis and colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS in BALB/c mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with DIM significantly attenuated loss of body weight, shortening of the colon, and severe clinical signs in a colitis model. This was associated with a remarkable amelioration of the disruption of the colonic architecture and a significant reduction in colonic myeloperoxidase activity and production of prostaglandin E(2), nitric oxide, and proinflammatory cytokines. Further, DIM administration dramatically decreased the number of colon tumors in AOM/DSS mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that DIM-mediated antiinflammatory action at colorectal sites may be therapeutic in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease and colitis-associated colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Center for Efficacy Assessment and Development of Functional Foods and Drugs, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyuck-Se
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Dae Hwan
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Young-Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jung Han Yoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jin-Kyung
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim