The current study was designed to investigate the effect of Red ginseng extract on development of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in male F344 rats. Five-week old animals received subcutaneous injections of DMH (30 mg/kg body weight) four times, for a period of two weeks in order to induce ACF. The animals were divided into groups fed a diet containing red ginseng extract at three different doses (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0%), respectively. Animals were evaluated for the total number of ACF and total aberrant crypts (AC) per colon detected from methylene blue-stained rat colon. ACF formation was observed in animals in the DMH-treated group. Four-time treatment with DMH induced mean 265.8±48.3 ACF/colon composed of a total of 608.8±110.9 aberrant crypts AC/colon. The numbers of ACF and AC induced by DMH were decreased to 204.4±29.3 and 464.7±70.3 by treatment with 0.5% red ginseng extract. In addition, the number of large ACF (≥4 AC/ACF) was suppressed from 39.9±10.6 ACF/colon in control to 28.5±5.3 ACF/colon in 0.5% red ginseng extract. These results suggested that red ginseng extract exerted a chemopreventive effect on DMH-induced colon cancer by inhibiting development of ACF and AC in F344 rats.

• Dae Joong Kim(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University) Corresponding author
• Tae Myoung Kim(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Tae Jin Shim(College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University)
• Jae Myun Ryu(Biotoxtech Co., Ltd., Ochang)