Polyphenol addition to cooked ham modifies the abundance of fecal volatile metabolites involved in the formation of preneoplastic colon lesions

Abstract

Abstract Epidemiological studies have shown that haem iron from processed meat is a key element involved in the colon carcinogenesis. The haem iron induces lipid peroxidation in the colon lumen during digestion, enabling the formation of cytotoxic molecules derived from these reactions. The cytotoxic molecules generated are highly dependent on dietary factors such as lipid sources, calcium levels or the presence of antioxidants during digestion. Here, we investigated whether nitrite substitution by polyphenols as a food additive could modulate the in vivo luminal lipid peroxidation in the colon and consequently, reduce the formation of mucin-depleted foci in a chemical-induced colon cancer rat model. The addition of polyphenols to the cooked ham increases its antioxidant capacity, reducing the lipid peroxidation measured before and during the digestion. We observed a reduction in cytotoxic aldehydes in fecal water from animals fed with polyphenols as well as a decrease in the formation of mucin-depleted foci. The antioxidant capacity derived from polyphenols modifies the luminal environment of the colon, allowing the identification of a specific molecular signature derived from the analysis of fecal volatile organic compounds. In this molecular signature is included the reduction in the abundance of (2E,4E)-2,4-hexadienal, a carcinogenic aldehyde derived from lipid peroxidation.