Lack of tumor‐promoting effects of flavonoids: Studies on rat liver preneoplastic foci and onin vivoandin vitrogap junctional intercellular communication

Abstract

Possible tumor-promoting activity of four flavonoids, quercetin (QC), tangeretin (TG), flavone (FO), and flavanone (FN), was examined in a rat liver short-term carcinogenesis assay as well as with in vivo and in vitro assays of inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). Rat hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by aflatoxin B1 treatment followed by a selection phase (2-acetylaminofluorene treatment and partial hepatectomy), then treatment with or without test chemicals (in vivo studies of antipromotion were not performed). Using glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci, we compared the effects of flavonoids (at 1,000 ppm in the diet) with the effects of phenobarbital (PB) on the occurrence of liver preneoplastic lesions. In addition, we studied the effects of flavonoids on GJIC in the livers derived from these experiments and in two types of cultured cells. No significant difference in the number and area of GST-P-positive foci was found after one or three months of treatment between any flavonoid group and control group. In the positive control group, PB markedly increased the numbers and areas of preneoplastic lesions at three months. Whereas PB also decreased by 60% the average size of lucifer yellow dye spread in slices of liver parenchyma free of preneoplastic lesions among the different flavonoids, only TG decreased the dye transfer in vivo: by 30% at one month and 50% at three months. With the dye transfer assay applied to a rat liver epithelial cell line (REL) and the Chinese hamster V79 metabolic cooperation assay, none of the tested flavonoids (< or = 25 microM) inhibited GJIC. Conversely, protective properties were seen for some of the compounds in antipromotion in vitro studies, because TG and FN enhanced the dye transfer in REL cells and FO, TG, and QC partly prevented the inhibition of metabolic cooperation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Thus, taken together, our results suggest that QC, FO, and FN do not show tumor-promoting activity. Concerning TG, some discrepancies in the in vivo data are observed. Some of them (GJIC inhibition in liver slices) are probably more relevant to promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis.

The roles of polyphenols in cancer chemoprevention

“…Quercetin blocks the TPA-induced inhibition of GJIC in rat liver epithelial cells [10], and protects against the inhibition of GJIC and the phosphorylation of Cx43 and ERK1/2 induced by hydrogen peroxide [60]. We also found that the sustained production of hydrogen peroxide by PMS inhibits GJIC in rat liver epithelial cells via the hyperphosphorylation of Cx43 through activation of ERK1/2.…”

Preventive effect of the flavonoid, quercetin, on hepatic cancer in rats via oxidant/antioxidant activity: molecular and histological evidences

“…Specific P 53 gene PCR results may be contributed to the quercetin-mediated down regulation of mutant P 53 as reported by Avila et al . [ 32 ]. Contradictory results were reported by Chaumontet et al .…”

Plant Phenolics: Extraction, Analysis and Their Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties

“…In addition, green tea polyphenols was found to protect against pentachlorophenol (PCP)-induced mouse hepatocarcinogenesis via its ability to prevent down-regulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) which is strongly related to cell proliferation and differentiation [ 242 ]. Pure phenolic compound such as quercetin [ 243 ], resveratrol [ 244 ] were also found to block tumor promoter such as TPA-induced inhibition of GJIC.…”