Abstract
The effects of the edible blue-green alga Nostoc flagelliforme (Facai) on 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon tumorigenesis in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was examined. Eighty male SD rats (6 weeks old) were divided into four groups of 20 animals each. Each group of animals was injected subcutaneously with 10 mg kg-1 DMH or saline once a week for 10 weeks and then fed diets supplemented with or without 1% dried alga for 30 weeks. Animals were killed and colon tumors were counted and measured. The numbers of colon tumors induced by DMH in rats fed diets supplemented with and without alga were 23 and 34, respectively. These results demonstrated that the edible blue-green alga N. flagelliforme decreased the number of colon tumors induced by DMH in SD male rats.
