Abstract
Tricin, a flavone isolated from rice bran, has been shown to be chemopreventive in a colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model. This study aimed to illustrate the inhibitory activities of tricin in colon cancer cells and in a metastatic CRC mouse model. BALB/c mice injected with mouse Colon26-Luc cells into the rectum wall were treated with tricin (37.5 mg/kg) daily for 18 days. Orthotopic colon tumor growth and metastasis to lungs were assessed by in vivo bioluminescence imaging. Results showed that tricin suppressed Colon-Luc cells motility and downregulated phosphorylated Akt, Erk1/2 and NF-κB expressions of human colon cancer HT-29 cells. While tricin treatment suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis as well as altered the populations of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells in spleens. In summary, the tumor microenvironment modulatory and anti-metastatic effects of tricin in colon cancer mouse model were shown for the first time, suggesting the potential development of tricin-containing food supplements for CRC patients.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevalence in different populations is increasing and it shows the second highest rate of cancer mortality worldwide [1]
Cell viability of colon cancer cells after 24 or 48 h tricin treatment was assessed by an MTT assay
Tricin reduced the cell viability of both human and mouse colon cancer cells after 48 h incubation, with IC50 values at 107.9 μM and 34 μM in HT-29 and Colon26-Luc cells, respectively (Figure 1D), while tricin did not affect the viability of HT-29 cells and the IC50 value for Colon26-Luc cells was greater than 500 μM after 24 h incubation
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevalence in different populations is increasing and it shows the second highest rate of cancer mortality worldwide [1]. CRC is influenced by genetics, lifestyle, diet, intestinal microbiota, etc. The awareness of maintaining colon health through diet and health supplements consumption draws great attention. Diet and lifestyle modifications for patients are highly recommended in order to alleviate the impact from colon disorders on the quality of life. A healthy pattern diet, generally characterized by high intake of fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, fish and other dairy products, was associated with lower CRC risk [2]. A meta-analysis revealed that one of the food items that has convincing epidemiological association with colorectal cancer risk reduction is whole grains [3]
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