Inhibitory effects of magnesium hydroxide on c-myc expression and cell proliferation induced by methylazoxymethanol acetate in rat colon.

The effects of magnesium hydroxide were examined on methylazoxymethanol (MAM) acetate-induced c-myc expression and cell proliferation of colonic mucosal epithelium in rats. Rats were divided into four groups and treated as follows: MAM acetate alone (25 mg/kg i.p. injection, five times, once a week for 5 weeks), MAM acetate and feeding of 0.2% magnesium hydroxide in diet, magnesium hydroxide alone and non-treatment. At 4, 8 and 16 weeks after the start of experiment, 10 rats in each group were sacrificed. Magnesium hydroxide inhibited the MAM-induced expression of c-myc proto-oncogene, and also suppressed the increased bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labelling indexes induced by MAM acetate in colon mucosa in initiation and post-initiation phase. These results suggest that the anti-carcinogenic effect of magnesium hydroxide on rat colon carcinogenesis induced by MAM acetate may be related to the inhibition of the carcinogen-induced expression of c-myc proto-oncogene and cell proliferation.