Abstract
Copaiba oils are produced by exudation from the trunks of trees belonging to the genus Copaifera. Copaifera langsdorffii known as "copaiba", "capaiva" or "pau-de-oleo" belongs to the Leguminosae family. The effects attributed to copaiba oils in folk medicine include anti-inflammatory, anti-tetanus, anti-tumour, anti-blenorrhagea and urinary antiseptic activities. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of C. langsdorffii oil on the formation of 1,2-dimethyl-hydrazine (DMH)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon of the male Wistar rat. The animals received subcutaneous (sc) injections of DMH (40mg/kg body weight, b.w.) twice a week for two weeks to induce ACF. C. langsdorffii oil was administered to the rats five times a week for four weeks by gavage at doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg b.w/day each, during and after DMH treatment. All animals were sacrificed in week 5 for the evaluation of ACF. The results showed a significant reduction in the frequency of ACF in the group treated with the C. langsdorffii oil plus DMH when compared to those treated with DMH alone, suggesting that C. langsdorffii oil suppress the formation of ACF and have a protective effect against colon carcinogenesis.
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