The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and mechanism of lyophilized black raspberries (BRB) versus the combination of celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, and S,S'-1,4-phenylene-bis(1,2-ethanediyl)bis-isothiourea (PBIT), a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor in inhibition of carcinogen-induced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in rats. Our data indicated that tumor multiplicity and histologic grade of esophageal precancerous lesions were reduced in animals fed BRB compared to those fed celecoxib + PBIT. The mechanistic studies showed that BRB and its major anthocyanin suppressed cell proliferation and oncogenic signaling. Our findings demonstrated that dietary BRB is superior to the combination of two pharmaceutical drugs in esophageal cancer prevention. These observations suggest the potential value of translational studies using BRB food products for esophageal cancer prevention in humans, particularly those with high-risk premalignant lesions.
Keywords: anthocyanin; black raspberries; cancer prevention; esophageal cancer.