Chemopreventive effects of (-)-hinokinin against 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced genotoxicity and preneoplastic lesions in rat colon.

(-)-Hinokinin (1) is a dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan obtained by the partial synthesis of (-)-cubebin. This study reports the antigenotoxic and anticarcinogenic potential of 1 by the comet and aberrant crypt focus assays in the peripheral blood and colon of 4-5-week-old Wistar rats, respectively. The rats were exposed to 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (40 mg/kg) and were treated by gavage with doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg of 1. The results showed that the dose of 40 mg/kg was neither genotoxic nor carcinogenic. In the comet assay, all 1 doses displayed antigenotoxic effects. In addition, this compound (20 and 40 mg/kg) exhibited an anticarcinogenic effect in the aberrant crypt focus assay.