Unpolished Thai rice Prevents ACF through Involvement of β-catenin and COX-2 Expression in Azoxymethane-Treated Rats

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide (Jemal et al., 2011). The etiology of CRC is complicated and may be attributed to combined actions of inherited and environmental factors (Pandurangan and Esa, 2013). Both chronic intestinal inflammation and diet are the environmental factors that have been reported to be the major causes of CRC development (Pandurangan, 2013; Candela et al., 2014). CRC develops from normal colonic epithelium through an early adenoma which is arisen by disruption of the Wnt signaling pathway. Mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene play an important role in the initial events of CRC development through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway (Oving and Clevers, 2002; Sillars-Hardebol et al., 2010). Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are the one of the earliest histopathological manifestations of CRC (Takayama et