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Cancer Chemopreventive Properties of Glutelin Hydrolysate from Riceberry Bran Residues Against the Early Stage of Liver and Colon Carcinogenesis Induced by Chemicals in Rats
by
, , , and
Aroonrat Pharapirom
1,
Sirinya Taya
2,
Arpamas Vachiraarunwong
1,3,
Warunyoo Phannasorn
1,4,
Chonikarn Singai
1,
Rawiwan Wongpoomchai
1
and
Jetsada Ruangsuriya
1,2,* 1
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
2
Functional Food Research Unit, Multidisciplinary Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
3
Department of Environmental Risk Assessment, Osaka Metropolitan University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 545-8585, Japan
4
Center of Multidisciplinary Technology for Advanced Medicine (CMUTEAM), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cancers 2025, 17(16), 2666; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17162666
Submission received: 4 July 2025
/
Revised: 10 August 2025
/
Accepted: 15 August 2025
/
Published: 15 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemoprevention Advances in Cancer (2nd Edition))
Simple Summary
Cancer chemoprevention has become a promising alternative against cancer. Various biological activities, such as antioxidants, anti-inflammation, antimutagenicity, antiproliferation, and apoptotic induction, are the properties of cancer chemopreventive agents. We proposed in this study that Riceberry glutelin hydrolysate (GTLH), not total protein hydrolysate, had cancer chemopreventive properties against liver and colon cancers by reduction of preneoplastic lesion incidence in the liver and the colon of rats exposed to carcinogens with possible mechanisms involving the inhibition of cell proliferation, activation of apoptotic gene expression, and promotion of cancer cell apoptosis.
Abstract
Background: Rice bran proteins and their hydrolysates exhibit anticancer activity. Our previous study demonstrated that Riceberry glutelin and its hydrolysates possessed potent in vitro antioxidant and antimutagenic properties. However, their cancer chemopreventive effects in animals remain unclear. Methods: This study investigated chemopreventive mechanisms in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)- and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced preneoplastic lesions, including glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci in the liver and aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon of rats. Rats received GTL, GTLH, and total protein hydrolysate (TPH) at 500 mg/kg body weight, five days per week for ten weeks. Results: GTLH significantly reduced GST-P-positive foci in the liver and ACF in the colon, while GTL decreased GST-P-positive foci only in the liver. However, TPH did not affect preneoplastic lesions in both the liver and the colon. GTLH suppressed cell proliferation by reducing proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells and promoted apoptosis, as indicated by an increase in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells in both organs. GTL also decreased PCNA-positive cells in the liver and colon. Moreover, GTLH significantly upregulated BAX and CASP3 in the liver, while only BAX in the colon was observed. Conclusions: This study highlighted the cancer chemopreventive potential of Riceberry GTLH with its underlying mechanism to reduce the number of preneoplastic lesions in the liver and colon through cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction. These findings suggested that this protein hydrolysate might be used as a functional food ingredient or dietary supplement for cancer prevention.
