Thymoquinone subdues tumor growth and potentiates the chemopreventive effect of 5-fluorouracil on the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis in rats.

ABSTRACT: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers and has a high mortality rate. Insensitivity and the limited therapeutic efficacy of its standard chemotherapeutic drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), represents an important challenge in CRC treatment. The robust antitumor properties of thymoquinone (TQ), the main bioactive constituent of Nigella sativa, have recently been demonstrated on different cancers. We investigated whether TQ could potentiate the chemopreventive effect of 5-FU to eradicate the early stages of CRC and elucidated its underlying mechanisms. An intermediate-term (15 weeks) model of colorectal tumorigenesis was induced in male Wistar rats by azoxymethane (AOM), and the animals were randomly and equally divided into five groups: control, AOM, AOM/5-FU, AOM/TQ, and AO

SUBMITTER: Kensara OA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4946859 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature