The azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium-induced mouse colon cancer model for the study of dietary chemoprevention of inflammation-associated carcinogenesis

Abstract

The azoxymethane (AOM) plus dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colon carcinogenesis model is a fascinating tool for investigating the pathogenesis and chemoprevention of colitis-associated colorectal cancer. In this two-stage mouse colon cancer model, tumorigenesis is initiated by a single intraperitoneal administration of the carcinogen AOM and promoted by DSS-induced inflammation. The successful induction of AOM plus DSS-induced colorectal cancer relies on several critical factors, such as the molecular weight and the dosage of DSS, the strain, age, and sex of animals, and other experimental conditions. Here, we provide the optimized protocol for effective induction of colon tumors in mice by treatment with AOM plus DSS. Inflammation-induced colon carcinogenesis is accompanied by a series of histopathological and molecular changes. In this chapter, we also describe the step-by-step protocols for macroscopic examination, hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining, immunohistochemical analysis, immunoblot analysis, and the electrophoretic mobility shift assay, all of which are used for investigating the inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis and the chemopreventive effect of dietary phytochemicals. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.