We investigated the effects of the two fractions, aqueous (AEP) and ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) of the Brazilian propolis on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Male Wistar Hannover (GALAS) rats were administered two weekly subcutaneous injections of AOM (20 mg/kg bw) and fed with diets mixed with AEP (100, 500 and 1,000 ppm) or EEP (500 and 1,000 ppm) for 4 weeks, starting one week before the first dosing of AOM. The modifying effects of the test extracts on ACF formation were assessed by counting the incidence and multiplicity of ACF at week 4. Proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-labeling nuclei and apoptotic index were also immunohistochemically determined. Dietary supplementation with AEP and EEP significantly reduced the multiplicity of ACF with the effect of EEP being more potent than AEP. In the ACF and their surrounding non-lesional crypts, significantly lowered cell proliferation was observed in the rats, administered with AOM, and the extracts, while neither fraction affected the apoptotic index. Our findings suggest that AEP and EEP possess a chemopreventive ability in the early phase of colon carcinogenesis through the modulation of cell proliferation.

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