Cocoa is a rich source of bioactive compounds with potential chemopreventive ability but up to date its effectiveness in animal models of colon carcinogenesis has not been addressed. Herein, we have used the well-defined azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon cancer model in rats to investigate the ability of a cocoa enriched diet in preventing the early phase of chemically induced colorectal cancer. Our results showed that cocoa feeding significantly reduced AOM-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci formation and crypt multiplicity. Oxidative imbalance in colon tissues seems to be prevented by cocoa as indicated by reduced oxidation markers levels and increased enzymatic and non-enzymatic endogenous defences. Cocoa-rich diet also decreased the levels of proliferative and proinflammatory markers and induced pro-apoptotic effects. These findings provide evidences that a cocoa-rich diet may inhibit the early stage of colon carcinogenesis probably by preventing oxidative stress and cell proliferation and by inducing apoptosis.

Dietary-feeding of cocoa prevents colonic preneoplastic lesions in azoxymethane-treated rats

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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