EFFECTS OF QUERCETIN AND OR RESTRAINT STRESS ON FORMATION OF ABERRANTCRYPT FOCI INDUCED BY AZOXYMETHANE IN RAT COLONS/

The present study examines the effect of dietary quercetin and/or rest raint stress on the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) induced by azoxymethane (AOM) in the colon. Female F344 rats were divided into fo ur groups. All animals were given intraperitoneal injections of AOM. T he animals were fed a basal diet (group A, C), or a 2% quercetin-suppl emented diet (group B, D). The animals were put individually to narrow wire cages for Ih every day throughout the study to expose them to mi ld restraint stress (group C, D). At week 5, all the rats were killed and analyzed for ACF in the colon. The number of ACF increased signifi cantly in the animals subjected to stress (p<0.05). On the other hand, dietary quercetin significantly reduced the number of ACF in both the nonstress (p<0.001) and stress groups (p<0.05). These findings sugges t that quercetin might have a potential as a chemopreventive drug for colon cancer despite stress.