Effect of horse chestnut and inulin as single supplements or in combination on chemically induced colon cancer in rats

Abstract

Natural bioactive supplements have been extensively studied as preventive agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of inulin enriched with oligofructose and Hyppocastani extractum siccum as preventive agents of experimentally induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. Colon carcinogenesis was induced by N,N dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in a dose of 21mg/kg body weight s.c., five times at weekly intervals. Sprague Dawley rats (n = 45) were divided into a control group without DMH; control group with injected DMH; group receiving inulin and injected DMH; group receiving Hyppocastani extractum siccum and injected DMH; group receiving inulin and Hyppocastani extractum siccum and injected DMH. The beneficial effects of natural compounds were determined by analysis of caecal parameters such as pH, composition of microflora, activity of bacterial glycolytic enzymes and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). The counts of coliforms were decreased in the groups receiving inulin enriched with oligofructose (P < 0.01), Hyppocastani extractum siccum (P < 0.001) and the combination of these supplements (P < 0.001). The counts of lactobacilli were significantly increased in all experimental groups receiving natural compounds (P < 0.01; P < 0.001). Experimental groups receiving natural compound alone and in combination resulted in a significant decrease in the activity of β-glucuronidase (P < 0.01; P < 0.001). Administration of inulin and Hyppocastani extractum siccum separately significantly increased the concentration of SCFA compared to the control group with DMH. The achieved results indicate the beneficial effect of prebiotics and plant extracts on metabolic processes in the colon and suggest that they could exert a preventive effect on colon carcinogenesis induced by DMH.Keywords: carcinogenesis; prebiotics; plant extract; prevention List of abbreviations DMH = N, N dimethylhydrazine; SCFA = short chain fatty acid; CRC = colorectal cancer; α-GAL = α-galactosidase;

Biological Flora of the British Isles: Aesculus hippocastanum

“…Currently, extracts from horse‐chestnut seeds are widely used to treat peripheral vascular disorders including chronic venous insufficiency, haemorrhoids and post‐operative oedema (Dickson, Gallagher, McIntyre, Suter, & Tan, ; Dudek‐Makuch & Studzińska‐Sroka, ; Facino, Carini, Stefani, Aldini, & Saibene, ; Gurel et al., ; Pittler & Ernst, ; Ruffini, Belcaro, Cesarone, & Dugall, ; Suter, Bommer, & Rechner, ; Underland, Sæterdal, & Nilsen, ), as a preventative of dental plaque and periodontitis in toothpaste (Aravind, Lakshmi, & Arun, ; Kim et al., ), and to counter male infertility by improving sperm quality (Fang et al., ). Saponin extracts have been used to prevent colon cancer in rats (Szabadosova et al., ) and may also reduce growth of tumours in a number of cancers in humans (Cheong et al., ; Geran, Greenberg, McDonald, Schumacher, & Abbott, ; Turkekul et al., ). Rat and mice models have been used to show that seed extracts also relieve diabetic nephropathy and thromboses (Ahmad et al., ; Elmas, Erbas, & Yigitturk, ), reduce ethanol absorption (Yoshikawa et al., ), reduce cholesterol in mice fed a high‐fat diet (Avcı, Küçükkurt, Akkol, & Yeşilada, ) and protect against bacterial endotoxemic injuries in mice livers (Jiang et al., ).…”

Effect of the supplementation linseed oil, inulin and horse chestnut into a high fat diet on the fatty acid profile of pigs

“…Inulin-type fructans are considered prebiotics (ROBERFROID, 2007). Inulin, alone or in combination with horse chestnut, supports the growth of beneficial bacteria and reduces harmful bacteria in the gut and influences lipid metabolism in the host (LETEXIER et al, 2003;DEWULF et al, 2011;SZABADOSOVA et al, 2013).…”