Probing the chemoprevention potential of the antidepressant fluoxetine combined with epigallocatechin gallate or kaempferol in rats with induced early stage colon carcinogenesis

J Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Jan;145(1):29-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jphs.2020.10.005. Epub 2020 Oct 22.

Abstract

The enhanced chemopreventive action against 1,2 Dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced preneoplastic lesion in rats could be achieved via simultaneous administration of the antidepressant fluoxetine (FLX) with two natural polyphenolic compounds viz., kaempferol (KMP) and/or epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG). The obtained results revealed that single FLX pre-treatment possess a significant apoptotic effect by increasing the activity of serum and colon tissue caspase 3. It also attenuated the DMH driven increase in, colon tissue MDA, NO, PCNA and COX-2 expression as well as serum and colon tissue β-catenin, with a decrease in the multiplicity of ACF and number of MPLs. The combination of FLX with either KMP or EGCG improved the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferating activities but with higher apoptotic activity in case of KMP. Eventually, histopathological assessment of colon tissues exposed that while sole pre-treatment can improve DMH-induced hyperplasia with only moderate inflammatory infiltration, tissues from the combined pre-treatment regimens groups exhibited almost a normal colonic architecture with slight submucosal edema. The study proved that single FLX administration prior to DMH exerts a chemopreventive effect and that the investigated combined pre-treatment regimens demonstrated more potent chemopreventive and antiproliferative actions.

Keywords: 1,2 Dimethylhydrazine; Colon cancer; Epigallocatechin gallate; Fluoxetine; Kaempferol.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Antidepressive Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antioxidants
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Catechin / administration & dosage
  • Catechin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Catechin / pharmacology
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Chemoprevention / methods*
  • Colon / metabolism
  • Colon / pathology
  • Colonic Neoplasms / chemically induced*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colonic Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Dimethylhydrazines / adverse effects*
  • Fluoxetine / administration & dosage*
  • Fluoxetine / pharmacology
  • Kaempferols / administration & dosage*
  • Kaempferols / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Phytotherapy*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Dimethylhydrazines
  • Kaempferols
  • Fluoxetine
  • Catechin
  • epigallocatechin gallate