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Extract of Fermented Brown Rice Induces Apoptosis of Human Colorectal Tumor Cells by Activating Mitochondrial Pathway
Author(s) -
Itoh Mari,
Nishibori Naoyoshi,
Sagara Takefumi,
Horie Yukiko,
Motojima Aya,
Morita Kyoji
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.4631
Subject(s) - apoptosis , brown rice , mitochondrion , fermentation , biology , programmed cell death , traditional medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , biochemistry , food science
Brown rice fermented with Aspergillus oryzae , designated as FBRA, is a dietary fiber‐rich food, and fully appreciated as one of the prebiotics, which are generally considered to be beneficial to the health of the body, because of stimulating the growth and/or the activity of bacteria in the digestive system. To assess the effectiveness of FBRA as a functional food, the direct effect of FBRA extract on human colorectal tumor cells was examined. The exposure of HCT116 cells to FBRA extract reduced their viabilities in a concentration‐dependent manner, and the reduction of the cell viability might be attributed to the induction of apoptosis probably through the oxidative damage to the cells. Further studies showed that FBRA extract caused a significant elevation of Bax protein and a slight reduction of Bcl2 protein levels, and furthermore caused the activation of caspase‐3 in the cells. Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that FBRA extract can exert oxidative damage to the cells, resulting in apoptotic cell death by activating the mitochondrial pathway in human colorectal tumor cells. Therefore, daily intake of FBRA can be expected to be beneficial for preventing carcinogenesis and/or suppressing tumor growth in the digestive tract. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.