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Anticarcinogenic Effect of Corn Tortilla Against 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-Induced Colon Carcinogenesis in Sprague–Dawley Rats

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Abstract

Mexico has the highest per capita consumption of corn in the world, which is consumed mainly as tortilla. However, only a few in vivo studies have demonstrated the anticarcinogenic potential of some maize components against colon cancer, but not as a whole food product. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the protective effect of corn tortillas against the development of colon cancer. First, blue, red, yellow and white corn grains were lime-cooked and processed to elaborate tortillas. Then, tortillas were administered into the diet (27 % w/w) to male Sprague–Dawley rats induced with the colon carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Our results indicated that consumption of tortillas, particularly from white and blue corns, significantly decreased adenocarcinoma incidence (up to 77.5 %) and mean number compared to DMH-treated animals. In addition, an inhibition of β-glucuronidase activity, and induction of detoxifying enzymes in liver and colon, as well as a decrease in the expression of the two most important proliferative proteins (K-ras and β-catenin) involved in colon carcinogenesis, were also observed. These results highlight some of the molecular mechanisms related to the chemopreventive effect of tortillas, thus indicating that corn products retain their biological properties even after nixtamalization and tortilla processing.

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Abbreviations

CRC:

Colorectal cancer

β-GA:

β-glucuronidase activity

DMH:

1,2-dimethylhydrazine

GST:

Glutathione-S-transferase

NQO1:

NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1

BCT:

Blue corn tortilla

RCT:

Red corn tortilla

WCT:

White corn tortilla

YCT:

Yellow corn tortilla

FI:

Flotation index

H&E:

Hematoxylin and eosin

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank to the State Council for Science and Technology (FOMIX-CONACYT) for financial support of this work (QRO-2004-C01-38). MGGV was a graduate CONACYT scholarship recipient.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos (PROPAC), Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, 76010, México

    Rosalía Reynoso-Camacho, Guadalupe Guerrero-Villanueva, Sandra Mendoza, Guadalupe Loarca-Piña & Minerva Ramos-Gomez

  2. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados. Ciencia de Materiales. Área de Materiales Bio-orgánicos (CINVESTAV-Unidad Querétaro), Querétaro, 76230, México

    Juan de Dios Figueroa

  3. Laboratorio de Histopatología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, 76017, México

    Marco A. Gallegos-Corona

Authors
  1. Rosalía Reynoso-Camacho
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  2. Guadalupe Guerrero-Villanueva
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  3. Juan de Dios Figueroa
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  4. Marco A. Gallegos-Corona
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  5. Sandra Mendoza
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  6. Guadalupe Loarca-Piña
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  7. Minerva Ramos-Gomez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Minerva Ramos-Gomez.

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Reynoso-Camacho, R., Guerrero-Villanueva, G., de Dios Figueroa, J. et al. Anticarcinogenic Effect of Corn Tortilla Against 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-Induced Colon Carcinogenesis in Sprague–Dawley Rats. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 70, 146–152 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-015-0471-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-015-0471-z

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