Phytonutrient Effects of Date Pit Extract against Azoxymethane-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Rat Colon

Plants and their by-products offer a diverse mixture of chemical constituents like natural antioxidants. Datepitsare rich in phenolic compounds that have antioxidant potential. The main objective of this study was toinvestigate the protective effect of a date-pit extract (DPE) against AOM-induced colonic carcinogenicity andoxidative stress. Thirty-two weanling male Sprauge-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (eightrats in each group). All rats were fed basic diet and water ad libitum, and randomly distributed per treatmentgroups as follows: negative controls injected with normal saline once a week for two weeks, a cancer groupinjected intra-peritoneally with azoxymethane (15mg/kg body weight) for two consecutive weeks, and DPEtreated groups receiving the extract via the oral route (1.5ml/day) for the entire experiment in the presence orabsence of AOM injection. Results showed that DPE contained phytonutrients that were capable of inhibitingchemically-induced oxidative stress in the rat colonic cells. In those animals that consumed DPE, a protectiveeffect was observed against AOM-induced oxidative stress in rat colonic cells as evident by a significant decreasein MDA and oxidized DCF formation in AOM injected and DPE fed groups. It is concluded that DPE has potentialantioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties.