Colon cancer is the third most
malignant neoplasm in the world and it remains today an important cause of death, especially in western countries. In this study, we have evaluated the chemopreventive efficacy of
morin on tissue lipid peroxidation and
antioxidant status, which are used as
biomarkers in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon
carcinogenesis in a rat model. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and received high fat diet. Group 1 served as control, groups 2 and 4 were given a daily treatment of
morin (50 mg/kg
body weight) orally, everyday for a total period of 30 weeks. Groups 3 and 4 were given weekly
subcutaneous injections of
DMH at a dose of 20 mg/kg
body weight in the groin for 15 weeks. Animals were sacrificed at the end of 30 weeks. The liver, intestine, colon and caecum from different groups were subjected to histopathological studies, determination of lipid peroxidation and
antioxidant status. Our results showed decreased levels of liver enzymic and non-enzymic
antioxidants and increased levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products such as tissue thiobarbituricacid substances (
TBARS),
lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) and conjugated dienes (CD) in
DMH treated rats, which were significantly (P < 0.05) reversed on
morin supplementation. Moreover, intestinal, colonic and caecal
TBARS, LOOH, CD and also the
antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD),
catalase (CAT),
glutathione S-transferase (GST),
glutathione peroxidase (GPx),
glutathione reductase (GR) and
reduced glutathione (GSH) were significantly diminished in
DMH treated rats, which were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated on simultaneous
morin supplementation. Moreover, enhanced activity of intestinal, colonic and caecal
ascorbic acid and
alpha-tocopherol levels were also observed in
DMH alone treated rats, which were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced on
morin supplementation. These results indicate that
morin could exert a significant chemopreventive effect on colon
carcinogenesis induced by
DMH.