Preventive Effect of an Infusion of the Aqueous Extract of Chaya Leaves (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) in an Aberrant Crypt Foci Rat Model Induced by Azoxymethane and Dextran Sulfate Sodium

Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) is the precursor lesion of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC), one of the most common malignancies in the world. Many studies have reported that people with higher phytochemical intake are at a reduced risk of developing ACF. One example of the botanical potential of preventive plant products is Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (CA), commonly known as Chaya. This study evaluated the phenolic profile of CA and the effects of the daily consumption of CA leaf infusion on the formation of ACF, histopathological lesions, and molecular biomarkers after azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced premalignant colon lesions in rats treated with for 16 and 32 weeks. The phenolic composition of the CA infusion was identified by reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (RP-HPCC-DAD). After sacrifice, a 4cm segment was collected from the distal part of the colon and stained with methylene blue to look for ACF. Furthermore, 4m of colon, liver, and kidney was collected and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological analysis, along with 7m of colon for immunohistochemistry analysis. Eleven phenolic compounds were identified in the infusions, and ACF formation was reduced by 29.5% at the subchronic and by 64.6% at chronic stages. Lesions on kidney, liver, and colon tissue were also reduced. Our data suggest that CA treatment has preventive effects against AOM-/DSS-induced premalignant colon lesions in colon rats at the promotion level, inhibiting the cell proliferation of early neoplastic lesions and colonic inflammation through the decrease of -catenin by 41.8% at the subchronic stage and 29% at the chronic stage, along with a 46.2% reduction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) at long term, despite a high expression of NF-B (30.3% at the subchronic stage and 22.8% at the chronic stage).