Elucidation of mechanisms by which fibre promotes or protects from colorectal tumorigenesis

在一个精心控制的结肠癌发生的动物模型中，膳食纤维可以增加或降低结肠癌发生的可能性。这取决于喂给动物的纤维的类型。然而，纤维可以增加或减少结肠癌发生的可能性的机制却知之甚少。在这项提议中，我们将试图阐明至少部分机制。我们计划确定，食用会增加癌症发展的纤维的动物，其粪便中是否存在影响结肠细胞(形成癌症的细胞)健康的因素。这一点将在试管和健康大鼠身上进行检测。纤维是否通过隔离或隐藏某些纤维在结肠产生的凝胶状稠度中的因素而影响这些因素进入衬里细胞，也将被检查。这一结果将有助于确定粪便中会改变结肠对癌症易感性的条件。通过识别这些情况，我们可以将我们的知识应用于人类受试者，这样我们就可以识别出那些患结肠癌风险较高或较低的人，我们可以建议并(随后证明)改变饮食以降低结肠癌风险的方法。

In a carefully controlled animal model of colon cancer development, dietary fibre can increase or decrease the likelihood of colon cancer development. It depends upon the type of fibre being fed to the animal. The mechanisms by which fibres can increase or decrease the likelihood of colon cancer developing are, however, poorly understood. In this proposal, we will attempt to elucidate at least some of the mechanisms. We plan to define whether animals consuming fibres that increase cancer development have factors in their faeces that affect the health of the cells that line the colon (the ones that form the cancers). This will be examined in both the test tube and in healthy rats. Whether fibres influence the access of these factors to the lining cells by sequestering or hiding the factors in the jelly-like consistency some fibres produce in the colon will also be examined. The results will help identify conditions in the faeces that alter the susceptibility of colons to developing cancer. By identifying these conditions, we can then apply our knowledge to human subjects, so that we might be able to identify those at a higher or lower risk of developing colon cancer and we can advise and (subsequently prove) ways of modifying diet to reduce the risk of colon cancer.