The dietary antioxidants resveratrol and quercetin protect cells from exogenous pro-oxidative damage.

In the colorectal epithelium oxidative stress is observed endogenously in premalignant adenoma cells or induced by nutritional factors like fatty acid hydroperoxides (LOOH). Bioactive phenols like resveratrol and quercetin can quench reactive oxygen species and protect from pro-oxidative damage. Our study used colorectal adenoma and carcinoma cell lines to assess antioxidant protective effects of resveratrol and quercetin.

Ubiquinol and the papaverine derivative caroverine prevent the expression of tumour- promoting factors in adenoma and carcinoma colon cancer cells induced by dietary fat.

High consumption of dietary fat promotes colon carcinogenesis. While this effect is well known the underlying mechanism is not understood. Fatty acid hydroperoxides (LOOH) arise from unsaturated fatty acids in the presence of oxygen and elevated temperature during food processing.

Suppression of tumour-promoting factors in fat-induced colon carcinogenesis by the antioxidants caroverine and ubiquinone.

Fatty acid hydroperoxides are produced from unsaturated fatty acids in the presence of oxygen at elevated temperatures during food processing. Their effects on gene expression in colorectal tumour cells were studied using linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH) as a model compound. Addition of LOOH to the medium of LT97 adenoma and SW480 carcinoma cells enhanced the production of hydrogen peroxide.