Dose response study of conjugated fatty acid derived from safflower oil on mammary and colon carcinogenesis pretreated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in female Sprague–Dawley rats

To clarify the chemopreventive effects of conjugated fatty acid derived from safflower oil (CFA-S), rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), on mammary and colon carcinogenesis, 6 week old female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats received diet containing 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 1, or 2% CFA-S subsequent to five times subcutaneous injections of 1,2-dimethyl-hydrazine (DMH) at a dose of 40 mg/kg b.w. and a single 50 mg/kg b.w. intragastric application of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) during the first 11 days. The experiment was terminated at week 36. Numbers of mammary tumors, colon aberrant crypt foci (ACF), and proliferative indices of mammary tumors, and colon epithelium were analyzed. The 1% dose was found to be optimal for suppression of carcinogenesis in both target organs, a good correlation being noted with between data for cell proliferation. These results suggest that a diet containing appropriate levels of CFA-S may be useful for prevention of mammary and colon cancer.