The Chemopreventive effect of Withaferin A on spontaneous and Inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis models.

Chemopreventive effects and associated mechanisms of Withaferin A (WA) against intestinal and colon carcinogenesis remain unknown. We investigated the chemopreventive effect of WA on transgenic mouse APCMin/+ and chemically induced azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) models of intestinal and colon carcinogenesis. Oral WA administration (4 mg/kg and 3mg/kg) inhibited tumor initiation and progression of intestinal polyp formation in APCMin/+ mice and colon carcinogenesis in the AOM/DSS mouse model. WA-administered mice showed a significant reduction in both number (duodenum, 33% (p>0.05); jejunum, 32% (p<0.025); ileum, 43% (p<0.001); and colon 59% (p<0.01) and size of polyps in APCMin/+ mice compared to the respective controls. Similarly, tumor multiplicity was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in the colon of WA-administered AOM/DSS mice. Pathological analysis showed reduced adenomas and tissue inflammation in WA-administered mouse models. Molecular studies suggested that WA inhibited the expression of inflammatory (IL-6, TNFα and COX2), pro-survival (pAKT, Notch1, and NF-κB), markers in APCMin/+ and AOM/DSS models. The results suggest that WA is a potent agent for preventing colon carcinogenesis and further investigation is required to show clinical utility of the agent.