Abstract
Defatted rice bran (DRB) is gaining immense popularity worldwide because of its nutritional and functional aspects. Emerging evidence suggests that DRB is a potential source of dietary fiber and phenolic compounds with numerous purported health benefits. However, less is known about its chemoprotective efficacy. In the present study, we determined and examined the nutrient composition of DRB and its chemopreventive effect on azoxymethane and dextran sulphate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CRC) in rats. The results showed the presence of several bioactive compounds, such as dietary fiber, phytic acid, and phenolic acids, in DRB. In addition, DRB supplementation reduced the progression of CRC symptoms, such as colonic shortening, disease activity index (DAI), and histopathological changes. Interestingly, a significant decrease was observed in total numbers of aberrant crypt foci (ACFs) and tumors with DRB supplementation. Furthermore, DRB supplementation suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6) and inflammatory mediators (NF-κB and COX-2) through the inactivation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. The administration of DRB revealed a negative effect on cancer cell proliferation by repressing the expression of nuclear β-catenin, cyclin D1, and c-Myc. These findings suggest that DRB supplementation mitigates chronic inflammation and cancer cell proliferation and delays tumorigenesis in rat AOM/DSS-induced colitis-associated CRC. Therefore, the establishment of DRB as a natural dietary food-derived chemopreventive agent has the potential to have a significant impact on cancer prevention in the global population.