Oral administration of a catalase-producing Lactococcus lactis can prevent colon cancer in mice

LEBLANC, J.G.; DE MORENO DE LEBLANC, A.; PERDIGON, G.; MIYOSHI, A.; LANGELLA, P.; AZEVEDO, V.; SESMA, F.

Mar del Plata, Argentina

Congreso; XLIII Reunión Anual SAIB; 2007

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are involved in various aspects of tumor development. Decreasing their levels can therefore be a promising approach for colon cancer prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of catalase producing Lactococcus (L.) lactis on the prevention of an induced colon cancer in mice. DMH-treated BALB/c mice received a catalase-producing L. lactis strain or the isogenic non-producing strain as control. Catalase activity and H2O2 levels in intestinal fluids and changes in the histology of the large intestines during tumor progression were evaluated. The catalase-producing L. lactis strain used in this study was able to slightly increase catalase activities (1.19 ± 0.08 U/ml) and reduce H2O2 levels (3.4 ± 1.1 µM) compared to i) animals which received the non-catalase producing strain (1.00 ± 0.09 U/ml; 9.0 ± 0.8 µM), and ii) those that did not receive bacterial supplementation (1.06 ± 0.07 U/ml; 10.0 ± 1.1 µM). Animals which received the catalase producing L. lactis had a significant lesser extent of colonic damage and inflammation compared to the control animals. The catalase producing L. lactis strain used in this study was able to prevent tumor appearance in an experimental DMH-induced colon cancer model.