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Updated: Oct 28, 2025
Non-invasive Assessment of the Efficacy of New Therapeutics for Intestinal Pathologies Using Serial Endoscopic Imaging of Live Mice
Published on: March 10, 2015
Smoking induces the occurrence of colorectal cancer via changing the intestinal permeability
Huixiong Wang1, Xiaoting Chen, Qiang Gao
1Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Baogang Hospital, Baogang, China.
Purpose:
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequent cancer. Its occurrence is closely linked to lifestyle and diet habits, such as excessive intake of high-fat food, but their impact on CRC, however, remain unclear.
Methods:
Eligible CRC patients were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in smokers and non-smokers of CRC patients were assessed. APCmin/+ mice were exposed to cigarette smoking, followed by detection of CRC growth and intestinal permeability.
Results:
A total of 416 eligible CRC patients were recruited, involving 218 (52.4%) smokers and 198 (47.6%) non-smokers. OS was shorter in CRC smokers than in non-smokers (p=0.005), whereas smoking did not affect RFS in CRC patients (p=0.251). Cigarette smoking increased CRC tumor numbers of CRC in APCmin/+ mice. Proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal epithelial cells, and inflammatory response in mice were changed following smoking. Notably, the treatment of probiotics mixture VSL#3 decreased the number of CRC tissues and intestinal permeability in APCmin/+ mice exposed to cigarette smoking.
Conclusions:
Smoking increases the susceptibility to CRC through damaging the intestinal permeability. Protecting the intestinal permeability significantly protects intestinal tracts.
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