TITLE:
Enhancement of the Antigenotoxic and Antioxidant Actions of Eugenol from Spice Clove and the Stabilizer Gum Arabic on Colorectal Carcinogenesis
AUTHORS:
Nayanna de Oliveira Ramos Melo, Lucas Gabriel da Costa Marques, Humberto Maia Costa Neto, Matheus De Sousa Silva, Francisco Vagnaldo Fechine Jamacaru, Bruno Coêlho Cavalcanti, Antônio Adailson De Sousa Silva, Conceição Aparecida Dornelas
KEYWORDS:
Eugenol, Gum Arabic, Carcinogenesis, Oxidative Stress, Genotoxicity
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.15 No.1,
January
26,
2024
ABSTRACT: Spices
are defined as any aromatic condiment of plant origin used to alter the flavor
and aroma of foods. Besides flavor and aroma, many spices have antioxidant
activity, mainly related to the presence in cloves of phenolic compounds, such
as flavonoids, terpenoids and eugenol. In turn, the most common uses of gum arabic
are in the form of powder for addition to soft drink syrups, cuisine and baked
goods, specifically to stabilize the texture of products, increase the
viscosity of liquids and promote the leavening of baked products (e.g., cakes).
Both eugenol, extracted from cloves, and gum arabic, extracted from the
hardened sap of two species of the Acacia tree, are dietary constituents
routinely consumed virtually throughout the world. Both of them are also widely
used medicinally to inhibit oxidative stress and genotoxicity. The prevention
arm of the study included groups: Ia, IIa, IIIa, Iva, V, VI, VII, VIII. Once a
week for 20 weeks, the controls received saline s.c. while the experimental
groups received DMH at 20 mg/kg s.c. During the same period and for an additional
9 weeks, the animals received either water, 10% GA, EUG, or 10% GA + EUG by
gavage. The treatment arm of the study included groups Ib, IIb, IIIb e IVb, IX,
X, XI, XII). Once a week for 20 weeks, the controls received saline s.c. while
the experimental groups received DMH at 20 mg/kg s.c. During the subsequent 9
weeks, the animals received either water, 10% GA, EUG or 10% GA + EUG by
gavage. The novelty of this study is the investigation of their use alone and
together for the prevention and treatment of experimental colorectal
carcinogenesis induced by dimethylhydrazine. Our results show that the combined
use of 10% gum arabic and eugenol was effective, with antioxidant action in the
colon, as well as reducing oxidative stress in all colon segments and
preventing and treating genotoxicity in all colon segments. Furthermore, their
joint administration reduced the number of aberrant crypts and the number of
aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the distal segment and entire colon, as well as
the number of ACF with at least 5 crypts in the entire colon. Thus, our results
also demonstrate the synergistic effects of 10% gum arabic together with
eugenol (from cloves), with antioxidant, antigenotoxic and anticarcinogenic
actions (prevention and treatment) at the doses and durations studied, in the
colon of rats submitted to colorectal carcinogenesis induced by
dimethylhydrazine.