title: Chemoprevention of colonic aberrant crypt foci by Gynura procumbens in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gynura procumbens is commonly used as a traditional medicinal plant in Malaysia for treatment of many diseases. To investigate the chemopreventive properties of Gynura procumbens on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five groups of adult male rats were used in this experiment. Normal/control group; the rats were injected subcutaneously with 15 mg/kg of sterile normal saline once a week for two weeks, and orally administered with 10% Tween 20 (5 mL/kg). Carcinogen and treatment groups; the rats were injected subcutaneously each with 15 mg/kg body weight AOM once a week for 2 weeks and were continued to be fed for two months, respectively with 10% Tween 20, 500 and 250mg/kg body weight plant extracts. Reference group; the rats were injected subcutaneously with 15 mg/kg body weight AOM once a week for 2 weeks, and injected intraperitoneally with fluorouracil 35 mg/kg body weight for five consecutive days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total ACF detected in methylene blue stained whole mounts of rat colon were 21, 23and 130 in rats fed with 500, 250 mg/kg body weight treatment and carcinogen groups, respectively. Treatment with high and low doses of the plant extract led to83.6% and 82.2% decrease in the total crypts in the groups fed 500 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg Gynura procumbens respectively compared to carcinogen group. Immunohistochemical staining of ACF showed suppressed azoxymethane induced colonic cell proliferation and Bcl-2 expression. Glutathione-S-transfarase and superoxide dismutase activities were higher in treated rats compared to carcinogen groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gynura procumbens reduced the incidence of AOM induced ACF. The findings showed that Gynura procumbens may have antiproliferative and antioxidative properties. Moreover, Gynura procumbens possesses the medicinal properties to prevent colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abdrabuh N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Shwter
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nor Azizan
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alshawsh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abdulsamd
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alsalahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajrezaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Amel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Almaqrami
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sameer D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: ammeen@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Mahmood A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abdulla
mesh_terms: D058739:Aberrant Crypt Foci / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D019659:Asteraceae; D001397:Azoxymethane; D002273:Carcinogens; D018890:Chemoprevention; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002273:Carcinogens; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D001397:Azoxymethane
keywords: Aberrant crypt foci; Antioxidant activity; Azoxymethane; Bcl-2; Gynura procumbens; PCNA