A polyacetylene-rich extract from Gymnaster koraiensis strongly inhibits colitis-associated colon cancer in mice

Gymnaster koraiensis (GK) is a Korean herb used in folk medicine and recently found to positively impact liver health. Because GK contains polyacetylenes and because other polyacetylenes have been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities, we hypothesized that the polyacetylene gymnasterkoreayne B (GKB), known to increase hepatic detoxification enzymes, may also exert anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. We fed male C57BL/6 mice purified AIN93G diets containing no additions, GKB or the GKB-rich fraction of an ethanol extract (GE) from GK to determine if these diets would slow or prevent either inflammation or inflammation-enhanced colon cancer, using the dextran sulfate sodium/azoxymethane mouse model. The GKB (500 μmol/kg diet daily) showed some anti-inflammatory activity, but GE, containing an equal dose of GKB, protected strongly against both inflammation and colon cancer, decreasing adenocarcinomas by 90%. These data support further research into GK as a promising potential anti-cancer agent.