Synbiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus+Lactobacillus acidophilus+inulin) attenuates oxidative stress and colonic damage in 1,2 dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride-induced colon carcinogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats: a long-term study.

The inexorable increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer has led to growing interest in its prevention by natural interventions. Thus, the present study was designed with the aim of delineating the antioxidative and antitumorigenic effects of synbiotics in experimental colon carcinogenesis. It was observed that administration of a synbiotic, before 1,2 dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH)-induced colon carcinogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats, led to increased body weight and growth rate, and decreased tumor incidence compared with the DMH-only-treated group of animals. Most notably, the level of malondialdehyde, a measure of lipid peroxidation, decreased, and levels of the antioxidants, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase increased in animals in the Lactobacillus acidophilus+DMH, inulin+DMH, and synbiotic+DMH groups compared with DMH-only-treated animals. Histopathological observations of the colon also documented fewer dysplastic changes and increased the number of goblet cells in the probiotic-treated, prebiotic-treated, and synbiotic-treated animals compared with DMH-only-treated animals. Taken together, the present study shows that the use of synbiotics is a better prophylactic strategy than the use of probiotic and prebiotic alone because of the greater increase in antioxidants associated with the higher degree of attenuation of DMH-induced tumorigenesis.