Antigenotoxic effect of Paecilomyces tenuipes cultivated on soybeans in a rat model of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon carcinogenesis

We evaluated the effect of soybean dongchunghacho [SD, cultivated dongchunghacho fungus (Paecilomyces tenuipes) on soybeans] on dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress in male F344 rats. The animals were divided into 3 groups and fed a casein-based high-fat, low fiber diet without (DMH group) or with 13%(w/w) of soybean (DMH+S group), or SD (DMH+SD group). One week after beginning the diets, rats were treated weekly with DMH (36 mg/kg, s.c.) for 6 weeks; dietary treatments were continued for the entire experiment and endpoints measured at 9 weeks after the first DMH injection. SD supplementation reduced DMH-induced DNA damage in colon cells and reduced plasma lipid peroxidation. Thus, SD may have therapeutic potential for early-stage colon carcinogenesis.