Protective effect of xylooligosaccharides from corncob on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine induced colon cancer in rats

The anti-carcinogenic effect of the emerging prebiotic xylooligosaccharides (XOS) was evaluated in an animal model. Experimental colonic cancer was induced by three successive injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) (20 mg/kg body weight) at weekly intervals in male Wistar rats. XOS was included at 5% and 10% (w/w) in the diets of DMH-administered animals for 45 days. Beneficial effects of dietary XOS were observed on microbiota and the aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon of DMH-treated animals. Dietary XOS significantly increased the population of bifidobacteria and alleviated the incidence and multiplicity of ACF formation in the colon. XOS supplementation also ameliorated the level of lipid peroxidation and improved the activities of glutathione-S-transferase and catalase in colonic mucosa and liver, which may have contributed to inhibiting the colon carcinogenesis. Thus, the results suggested the protective effect of dietary XOS on the development of ACFs and on metabolic abnormalities associated with colon cancer.