Dose dependent inhibitory effect of dietary caraway on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine induced colonic aberrant crypt foci and bacterial enzyme activity in rats

Summary Colon cancer has become one of the major causes of cancer mortality. We determined the effect of caraway (Carum carvi L.) on the development of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and modulation of fecal bacterial enzyme activities in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced experimental rat colon carcinogenesis. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups and all the animals were fed 15.8% peanut oil making a total of 20% fat in the diet. Group 1 served as control and group 2 animals received 90 mg/kg body weight caraway p.o. daily for 15 weeks. To induce ACF, DMH (20 mg/kg body weight) was injected subcutaneously once a week for the first four weeks (groups 3–6). In addition caraway was administered at the dose of 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg body weight everyday orally for the entire period of 15 weeks (groups 4–6). First, we analyzed ACF number (incidence), multiplicity and its distribution along the colon in all experimental groups at the end of 15 weeks. Subsequently, we also assayed the fecal bacterial enzyme activities. ACF formation and the fecal bacterial enzyme activities were found to be significantly high in DMH-alone treated group as compared to control group. Caraway supplementation at three different doses significantly suppressed ACF development, bacterial enzyme activities and modulated oxidative stress significantly as compared to the unsupplemented DMH-treated group. Results of our present study indicate that dietary caraway markedly inhibited DMH-induced colon carcinogenesis and the optimal dose of 60 mg/kg body weight was more effective than the other two doses.