Extract of the Bark of Bathysa cuspidata Attenuates the Development of Chemically-Induced Preneoplastic Colorectal Lesions in Rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the bark extract Bathysa cuspidata on chemically induced preneoplastic colorectal lesions in Wistar rats. Forty male rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 each): saline (control group, oral administration of saline solution 0.9%); dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, vehicle control), B200 (treated with 200 mg/kg bark extract of B. cuspidata), and B400 (treated with 400 mg/kg bark extract of B. cuspidata). Administration of treatments was carried out by the gavage. The animals received four subcutaneous injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH, 40 mg/kg) in the initial two weeks of the experiment to induce preneoplastic colorectal lesions. After 15 weeks, the animals were euthanized and the presence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), body weight, biochemical analyses, and oxidative stress markers were measured. The extract of B. cuspidata decreased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), but did not influence the levels of catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide or protein carbonyl, compared with the saline group. The animals supplemented with a more concentrated B. cuspidata extract (B400) showed a significant reduction in the number of ACF in all the portions of the intestinal mucosa. The study demonstrated that the bark extract of B. cuspidata at 400 mg/kg reduced the preneoplastic colorectal lesions in an animal model of colon cancer and that the effect could be dose-dependent.