The chemopreventive effect of thymol against dimethylhydrazine and/or high fat diet-induced colon cancer in rats: Relevance to NF-κB

Evaluating the possible protective effect of thymol as an approach against 1,2 N,N-dimethylhydrazine and/or high-fat diet (HFD)-induced colon cancer. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups, namely a normal control group, colon cancer groups received DMH (40 mg/kg i.p., twice weekly), 20% HFD and DMH/HFD, thymol (20 mg/kg/day, p.o.), thymol/DMH and thymol/DMH/HFD (treatment of all groups continued for 16 weeks). Thymol significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of colon related tumor markers carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as well as the apoptotic marker, caspase-3 compared with the colon cancer group. In addition, it mitigated colonic tissue oxidative stress markers and inflammatory mediators. Moreover, the histopathological study revealed reduction of mucous secretion with elongated nuclei, frequent mitotic figures, focal nuclear stratification, mild interstitial edema, and markedly dilated congested blood vessels, aberrant crypt foci (ACF); adenoma with moderate to severe dysplasia of colon corrected by thymol treatment. The administration of thymol had a promising preclinical protective efficacy and could be considered as a new strategy for the prophylaxis from colon cancer in clinical practices. •DMH and/or HFD induced colon cancer in rats.•Thymol suppressed colon cancer in rats.•This suppression was related to NF- κB.