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.