Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Peel Extract Efficacy as a Dietary Antioxidant against Azoxymethane-Induced Colon Cancer in Rat

Abstract

Functional foods include antioxidant nutrients which may protect against many human chronic diseases by combating reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon tumors in rats as an in vivo experimental model. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats (4 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 groups containing 10 rats per group, and were treated with either AOM, PPE, or PPE plus AOM or injected with 0.9% physiological saline solution as a control. At 8 weeks of age, the rats in the AOM and PPE plus AOM groups were injected with 15 mg AOM/kg body weight, once a week for two weeks. After the last AOM injection, the rats were continuously fed ad-libitum their specific diets for another 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment (i.e. at the age of 4 months), all rats were killed and the colon tissues were examined microscopically for lesions suspected of being preneoplastic lesions or tumors as well as for biochemical measurement of oxidative stress indices. The results revealed a lower incidence of aberrant crypt foci in the PPE plus AOM administered group as compared to the AOM group. In addition, PPE blocked the AOM-induced impairment of biochemical indicators of oxidative stress in the examined colonic tissue homogenates. The results suggest that PPE can partially inhibit the development of colonic premalignant lesions in an AOM-induced colorectal carcinogenesis model, by abrogating oxidative stress and improving the redox status of colonic cells.

Prognostic Significance of Altered Blood and Tissue Glutathione Levels in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cases

“…In first part, we observed that mean blood glutathione levels are significantly reduced in head and neck cancer compared with respective controls. Our results are in agreement with earlier studies which have demonstrated that glutathione levels differ in patients of head and neck malignancies and this depletion could be due to imbalance in free-radical and antioxidant homeostasis in body fluids during carcinogenesis (Singh et al, 2008;Waly et al, 2012;Shetty et al, 2013). The other plausible explanation for decreased levels of glutathione observed in head and neck cancer patients is possibly GSH, being exhausted as a main low molecular weight antioxidant in cellular protection (Komatsu et al, 2008;Trachootham et al, 2009).…”

Connotation of Glutathione-S-Transferase Enzyme Expression (GST) and Glutathione (GSH) in Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cancer

“…In our recent works, it was observed that mean blood glutathione levels are significantly reduced in head and neck cancer compared with respective controls [10]. Our results are in agreement with earlier studies which have demonstrated that glutathione levels differ in patients of head and neck cancers and this depletion could be due to imbalance in free-radical and antioxidant homeostasis in body fluids during carcinogenesis [10][11][12][13][14]. The other plausible explanation for decreased levels of glutathione observed in head and neck cancer patients is possibly GSH, being exhausted as a main low molecular weight antioxidant in cellular protection [15,16].…”

Luteolin, a Bioflavonoid Inhibits Colorectal Cancer through Modulation of Multiple Signaling Pathways: A Review

“…Finally, these can develop into polyps and eventually into CRC. Plant constituents and their derivatives may exert significant effects on decreasing the incidence of ACF in the colon (Waly et al, 2012;Tammasakchai et al, 2012;Ansil et al, 2013;Guizani et al, 2013;Madrigal-Bujaidar et al, 2013). Treating the animals with luteolin during the AOM-induced CRC animals showed reduced incidence of ACF (Ashokkumar and Sudhandiran, 2008).…”