X-Message-Number: 10951
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 14:39:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: carrot, tomato, orange extracts inhibit liver cancer

Authors
  He Y.  Root MM.  Parker RS.  Campbell TC.
Institution
  Division of Nutritional Scinces, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Title
  Effects of carotenoid-rich
  food extracts on the development of preneoplastic lesions in
  rat liver and on in vivo and in vitro antioxidant status.
Source
  Nutrition & Cancer.  27(3):238-44, 1997.
Abstract
  The effect of dietary carotenoid-rich extracts of carrots,
  tomatoes, and orange juice on rat liver gamma-glutamyl
  transpeptidase-positive preneoplastic foci induced by aflatoxin B1 was
  investigated. Organic extracts were prepared from the foods,
  dissolved in tricaprylin oil to equivalent concentrations of the major
  food-specific carotenoids, and fed by intubation to Fischer
  344 male rats. The extracts were administered during the 2-week
  aflatoxin-dosing (initiation) period of the study or during the subsequent
  12-week post-dosing (promotion) period. Vitamin status and antioxidant
  activities were measured in blood and liver. Extract feeding caused an
  accumulation of carotenoids in the liver, a substantial decrease in
  spontaneous erythrocyte hemolysis, and lowered plasma glutathione, blood
  superoxide dismutase, and blood catalase. Differences in foci development
  among the three extracts were not as consistent or profound as differences
  between initiation and promotion dosing. The number of gamma-glutamyl
  transpeptidase-positive foci was decreased by extract feeding during the
  initiation period, whereas extract feeding during the promotion period caused
  a decrease in the average diameter of the foci. The total volume of foci was
  markedly reduced by extract feeding during either period. Extracts were
  compared with purified carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol in their ability to
  affect in vitro antioxidation activity and were nearly as effective as the
  pure compounds. In summary, carotenoid-rich extracts of
  these three foods substantially inhibited biochemical and
  cellular events thought to play a role in the early stages of
  hepatocarcinogenesis.

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