Dietary feeding of freeze-dried whole cranberry inhibits intestinal tumor development in Apc(min/+) mice

It is increasingly perceived that dietary components have been linked with the prevention of intestinal cancer. Cranberry is a rich source of phenolic constituents and non-digestible fermentable dietary fiber, which shows anti-proliferation effect in colorectal cancer cells. Herein, we investigated the efficacy of long-term cranberry diet on intestinal adenoma formation in Apc(min/+) mice. Apc(min/+) mice were fed a basal diet or a diet containing 20% (w/w) freeze-dried whole cranberry powder for 12 weeks, and the number and size of tumors were recorded after sacrifice. Our results showed that cranberry strongly prevented the growth of intestinal tumors by 33.1%. Decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis were observed in tumors of cranberry-fed mice. Cranberry diet reduced the expression profile of colonic inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-1β and TNF-α) accompanied with increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). Moreover, the number of colonic goblet cells and MUC2 production were increased, and the intestinal barrier function was also improved. In addition, cranberry diet increased caecal short chain fatty acids concentrations, and down-regulated epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway. These data firstly show the efficacy and associated mechanisms of cranberry diet on intestinal tumor growth in Apc(min/+) mice, suggesting its chemopreventive potential against intestinal cancer.