Chemoprevention of intestinal tumorigenesis in APCmin/+ mice by silibinin

Chemoprevention is a practical and translational approach to reduce the risk of various cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC), which is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Accordingly, here we assessed chemopreventive efficacy and associated mechanisms of long-term silibinin feeding on spontaneous intestinal tumorigenesis in the APC(min/+) mice model. Six-week-old APC(min/+) mice were p.o. fed with vehicle control (0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose and 0.025% Tween 20 in distilled water) or 750 mg silibinin/kg body weight in vehicle for 5 d/wk for 13 weeks and then sacrificed. Silibinin feeding strongly prevented intestinal tumorigenesis in terms of polyp formation in proximal, middle, and distal portions of small intestine by 27% (P < 0.001), 34% (P < 0.001), and 49% (P < 0.001), respectively. In colon, we observed 55% (P < 0.01) reduction in number of polyps by silibinin treatment. In size distribution analysis, silibinin showed significant decrease in large-size polyps (>3 mm) by 66% (P < 0.01) and 88% (P < 0.001) in middle and distal portions of small intestine, respectively. More importantly, silibinin caused a complete suppression in >3 mm sized polyps and 92% reduction in >2 to 3 mm sized polyps in colon. Molecular analyses of polyps suggested that silibinin exerts its chemopreventive efficacy by inhibiting cell proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis; inducing apoptosis; decreasing beta-catenin levels and transcriptional activity; and modulating the expression profile of cytokines. These results show for the first time the efficacy and associated mechanisms of long-term p.o. silibinin feeding against spontaneous intestinal tumorigenesis in the APC(min/+) mice model, suggesting its chemopreventive potential against intestinal cancers including CRC.