Dietary carotenoids inhibit aflatoxin B1-induced liver preneoplastic foci and DNA damage in the rat: Role of the modulation of aflatoxin B1 metabolism

To study the effects of carotenoids on the initiation of liver carcinogenesis by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), male weanling rats were fed beta-carotene, beta-apo-8'-carotenal, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin or lycopene (300 mg/kg diet), or an excess of vitamin A (21000 RE/kg diet), or were injected i.p. with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) (6 x 20 mg/kg body wt) before and during i.p. treatment with AFB1 (2 x 1 mg/kg body wt). The rats were later submitted to 2-acetylaminofluorene treatment and partial hepatectomy, and placental glutathione S-transferase-positive liver foci were detected and quantified. The in vivo effects of carotenoids or of 3-MC on AFB1-induced liver DNA damage were evaluated using diff…