RESUMO
We investigated the chemoprotective effects of four common constituents of the human diet, i.e. a fermented milk, inulin, oligofructose and Brussels sprouts, towards 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)-induced genotoxicity in male Fischer 344 rats harbouring a human intestinal microflora. We found that the four dietary components significantly reduced IQ-induced DNA damage in hepatocytes (reduction ranged from 74% with inulin to 39% with Brussels sprouts) and colonocytes (reduction ranged from 68% with inulin to 56% with Brussels sprouts). This chemoprotective effect correlated with the induction of hepatic UDP-glucuronosyl transferase following Brussels sprouts consumption, and with alterations of bacterial metabolism in the distal gut (acidification, increase of butyrate proportion, decrease of beta-glucuronidase activity) following inulin consumption.