Red meats are important animal foods because of their nutritional aspects, but the over-consumption of red meat produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by heme iron and induces colorectal cancer. The effect of orally administered hemin and calcium provided in drinking water for 6 weeks on colon carcinogenesis was observed in male ICR mice. After the mice were acclimated for 1 week, they received three subcutaneous azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg b.w.) injections weekly and were provided with 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) via drinking water for the next week. The mice were divided into three groups: the control, hemin, and hemin + calcium groups. The orally administered daily dose of hemin was 2 g/kg b.w., and 0.05% calcium was provided daily via drinking water. Colonic mucosa samples were stained with methylene blue, and then, the numbers of aberrant crypt (AC) and aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were counted. Lipid peroxidation in feces was estimated by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The total numbers of AC and ACF per colon in the hemin group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Calcium treatment significantly decreased the numbers of ACF and AC in the colon of mice. The TBARS value in the feces of the hemin + calcium group was significantly lower than that in the feces of the hemin group. These results showed that hemin enhances the formation of pre-neoplastic lesions in the colon of mice and that calcium decreases the risk of colon carcinogenesis.

Abstract
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
  Materials
  Animals and diets
  Experimental design
  Sample collection
  Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and aberrant crypt (AC)counts
  Histopathological egxamination
  Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)assay
  Statistical analysis
 RESULTS
  Changes in body weights and average water consumption
  Total numbers of ACF and AC
  TBARS values in feces
  Histopathology
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES

• Hyeon Ji Kim(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Ye Seo Jeong(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Ju Hyung Seok(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Sung-Jun Kim(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Sang Yoon Nam(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Beom Jun Lee(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) Corresponding Author
• Young Won Yun(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) Corresponding Author