Anti-inflammatory and proapoptotic effects of umbelliferone in colon carcinogenesis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious health problem throughout the world. 5-Flurouracil, the first-line chemotherapy of colorectal cancer often produces more toxicity to neighboring cells; however, it is still used for CRC treatment. To overcome this, umbelliferone (UMB), a less toxic bioflavonoid has been used to test its anticancer effects on animal model. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the anticancer activity of UMB on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced rat colon tumorigenesis to determine the development of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), agyrophylic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs), mast cell recruitment, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and also study the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and apoptotic markers. DMH-induced rats showed increased ACF number (incidence), multiplicity and its distribution, counts of AgNORs, mast cells, inflammatory markers and apoptotic proteins. Interestingly, UMB supplementation to DMH-induced rats (group 4) significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed ACF development, AgNORs, mast cells, and inflammatory markers and increased the apoptotic markers as compared to DMH-induced rats (group 2). We concluded that UMB is a potential anticancer agent that can be used for the prevention and treatment of CRC.