Effect of Supplemental l‐Arginine in a Chemical‐Induced Model of Colorectal Cancer

l‐Arginine inhibits the development of spontaneous, transplantable solid tumors and chemically induced mammary tumors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of l‐arginine on chemically induced colorectal cancer in male Wistar rats. Colorectal cancer was induced in all animals by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World journal of surgery 1996-10, Vol.20 (8), p.1087-1091
Main Authors: Ma, Qingyong, Hoper, Margaret, Anderson, Neil, Rowlands, Brian J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1,2-Dimethylhydrazine
Administration, Oral
Animals
Arginine
Arginine - administration & dosage
Arginine - pharmacology
Carcinogens
Cell Division - drug effects
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal Neoplasms - chemically induced
Colorectal Neoplasms - immunology
Colorectal Neoplasms - prevention & control
Dimethylhydrazines - toxicity
Disease Models, Animal
Host Immune System
Lymphocyte Activation
Male
Mammary Tumor
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Stimulation Index
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
Thymus Gland - immunology
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Summary:l‐Arginine inhibits the development of spontaneous, transplantable solid tumors and chemically induced mammary tumors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of l‐arginine on chemically induced colorectal cancer in male Wistar rats. Colorectal cancer was induced in all animals by weekly subcutaneous injections of the colonic procarcinogen 1,2‐dimethyhydrazine (DMH) at a dosage of 20 mg/kg body weight. Arginine was given in a 1% solution of drinking water. Group I was the DMH control; group II, arginine for 22 weeks; group III, arginine for the first 10 weeks only. Lymphocyte function was evaluated by measuring the thymic lymphocyte proliferative response to the T cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin. The results show that tumor incidence and tumor burden (tumors/rat and tumors/tumor‐bearing rat) were significantly reduced in both groups of animals receiving arginine compared to DMH controls (p< 0.05). The tumor areas and volumes were also reduced in both arginine groups (p< 0.05). Thymic lymphocyte stimulation indices were significantly increased by arginine supplementation (p< 0.05). These results would be in keeping with the reduction in colorectal tumor production due to a “nonspecific” stimulation of the host immune system by l‐arginine.
ISSN:0364-2313
1432-2323
DOI:10.1007/s002689900165