Enhancement of the Antigenotoxic and Antioxidant Actions of Eugenol from Spice Clove and the Stabilizer Gum Arabic on Colorectal Carcinogenesis

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.