Chemopreventive effect of genistein in hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis

ABSTRACT

Recently, the consumption of soy products has been associated with low rates of hormone-dependent and hormone-independent cancers. Asians, who consume 20~50times more soy per capita than Americans, have lower incidence and death rates from breast and prostate cancer. Because soy contains the isoflavones genistein and daidzein (present as their glycosidic conjugates) at mg/g concentrations, it has been suggested that isoflavones might be acting as natural chemopreventive agents. During the 1980s several groups of investigators carried out experiments to test the effectiveness of soy in the diet in animal models of cancer. These studies reported a protective effect of soy; none showed that soy increased cancer risk. Genistein was shown to inhibit the growth of a wide variety of tumor cell types in culture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of genistein on the carcinogenesis induced by topical application of 0.5% 9, 10-dimethyl 1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) on the hamster buccal pouch. 48 syrian hamsters were employed in this study, divided into experimental group and control. 24 animals (DMBA topical application group) had the right buccal pouch painted 3times weekly with 0.5% DMBA in mineral oil, 24 animals (genistein group) were supplied with 0.1mg genistein with DMBA topical application. 3 animals in the experimental group and control were sacrificed at serially each other week after experiments. Their buccal pouches were removed and routinely processed for microscopic examination. The results were as follows 1. In DMBA topical application and genistein group, they showed carcinogenesis as time goes by experimental stage. 2. Genistein group was retarded in carcinogenesis related to the acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, epithelial dysplasia. 3. p53 immunohistochemical study showed that the p53 protein of genistein group was less expressed than that of the control group. Thus, it seems that genistein has chemopreventive effect on the carcinogenesis in the oral cavity, but further study is required to elucidate the anticancer mechanism of genistein.