Modifying effect of dietary sesaminol glucosides on the formation of azoxymethane-induced premalignant lesions of rat colon

Sesame, which has been reported to have preventive effects against various disordered conditions, contains small quantities of lignans and several precursors to them such as sesaminol glucosides (SG). The lignans have the potent antioxidative activity and are suggested to have chemopreventive property. In the present study, we evaluated the modulating effect of SG on the development of colon precancerous lesions, aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and beta-catenin-accumulated crypts (BCAC), in the azoxymethane (AOM)-induced short-term model using male F344 rats. Dietary SG (500 ppm) significantly decreased the incidence of AOM-induced ACF when compared to the control (P<0.01). The incidences of AOM-induced BCAC in the SG-treated groups (250 or 500 ppm) were also significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.01). Interestingly, administration of 500 ppm SG clearly decreased serum triglyceride level and mRNA expression of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein in the colonic mucosa, as compared to the control. These findings indicate that dietary SG inhibits AOM-induced carcinogenesis and suggest SG as a possible chemopreventive agent.