Abstract
Neokestose is a 6G-fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and an important prebiotic. When FOS are ingested by patients with colorectal cancer, they may come into contact with cancer cells prior to being fermented by bifidobacteria in the colon. In the present study, the effects of neokestose on cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of the colorectal cancer cell line Caco-2 were investigated to evaluate its anti-cancer effect. An MTT assay showed that neokestose-treated Caco-2 cells exhibited a significant and dose-dependent loss of viability. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the sub-G1 population of Caco-2 cells was significantly increased following treatment with neokestose, and the percentage of Caco-2 cells in the stage of late apoptosis was also significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that the overexpression of nuclear factor-κB, a central molecule responsible for the transition from inflammation to cancer, and cyclooxygenase-2, an important enzyme in colorectal tumorigenesis, in colorectal carcinoma cells was inhibited by neokestose. Accordingly, the present study provided in vitro evidence that neokestose may be used as a dietary chemopreventive agent, whose application is more rational than that of COX-2 inhibitors or aspirin for preventing colorectal cancer.