Inhibition of carcinogen-induced DNA damage in rat liver and colon by garlic powders with varying alliin content.

The present study was designed to investigate the protective efficiency of three garlic powders, obtained from bulbs grown in soils with different levels of sulfur fertilization, against DNA damage. Increasing fertilization of soil resulted in an increased alliin content of the powders. Garlic powders were administered to rats for 2 weeks (5% of the diet) and their antigenotoxic effects were examined in the liver and the colon using the comet assay.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of apigenin in female and male rats after a single oral administration.

The metabolism of apigenin, a weak estrogenic flavonoid phytochemical, was investigated in the rat. After a single oral administration of radiolabeled apigenin, 51.0% of radioactivity was recovered in urine, 12.

Comparison of the chemopreventive efficacies of garlic powders with different alliin contents against aflatoxin B1 carcinogenicity in rats.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is well known for its beneficial effects on health and particularly for its chemopreventive potential against cancer. The present study was designed to compare the chemopreventive efficacies of several garlic powders with various levels of alliin, a precursor of active sulfur compounds. For this purpose we used the medium-term hepatocarcinogenesis protocol (resistant hepatocyte model), which allows the detection of preneoplasic foci expressing the placental form of glutathione S-transferase (GST-P) as an end-point.

Metabolism of apigenin by rat liver phase I and phase ii enzymes and by isolated perfused rat liver.

The metabolism of apigenin, a low estrogenic flavonoid phytochemical, was investigated in rat using liver models both in vitro (subcellular fractions) and ex vivo (isolated perfused liver). In vitro, phase I metabolism led to the formation of three monohydroxylated derivatives: luteolin which was the major metabolite (K(m) = 22.5 +/- 1.

Effects of garlic powders with varying alliin contents on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats.

The anticarcinogenic effect of garlic has been demonstrated in both epidemiologic and experimental studies. In this study, possible mechanisms involved in the anticarcinogenic effect of garlic consumption were assessed by determining its capacity to alter drug metabolizing enzymes, in relation with its alliin content. Rats were fed a diet for 2 weeks containing 5% garlic powders produced from bulbs grown on soils with different levels of sulfate fertilization and therefore containing differing amounts of alliin.

Mechanisms of protection against aflatoxin B(1) genotoxicity in rats treated by organosulfur compounds from garlic.

Diallyl sulfide (DAS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS), two garlic constituents, were found previously to inhibit aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1))-initiated carcinogenesis in rat liver, DADS being the most effective. In order to study the mechanisms involved in this protection, we have examined the ability of liver microsomes and cytosols from DAS- and DADS-treated rats to modulate the mutagenicity and the metabolism of AFB(1). We also examined the effects of these compounds on the expression of cytochromes P450 (CYP) and phase II enzymes known to be involved in AFB(1) metabolism.

[Food and cancer: state of the art about the protective effect of fruits and vegetables].

Epidemiological studies performed during the last 20 years support an inverse relationship between the individual intake of fruits and vegetables and the risk of cancer. In taking into account some recent conflicting data, a working group of the Nacre network, the French Network for Food and Cancer Research, has conduced a critical analysis of epidemiological and experimental studies, including the preliminary data from the Epic cohort, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, to clarify the role of fruits and vegetables to prevent cancer. To date, a high intake of fruits and vegetables (at least, 400 g per day) is appropriate to lower the risk of cancer.