Effects of quercetin and/or restraint stress on formation of aberrant crypt foci induced by azoxymethane in rat colons

The present study examines the effect of dietary quercetin and/or restraint stress on the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) induced by azoxymethane (AOM) in the colon. Female F344 rats were divided into four groups. All animals were given intraperitoneal injections of AOM. The animals were fed a basal diet (group A, C), or a 2% quercetin-supplemented diet (group B, D). The animals were put individually to narrow wire cages for Ih every day throughout the study to expose them to mild 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 significantly 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 suggest that quercetin might have a potential as a chemopreventive drug for colon cancer despite stress.