PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF STERCULIA FOETIDA SEED EXTRACT AND VIRGIN COCONUT OIL ON COLON HISTOPATHOLOGY IN COLORECTAL CANCER RAT MODELS

Abstrak

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide and is often associated with oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and an imbalance in the gut microbiota. These conditions can trigger DNA damage, histopathological changes, and increase the risk of normal cell transformation into cancer cells. This study aims to evaluate the nutraceutical effect of a combination of Sterculia foetida seed extract and Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) on the histopathological structure of the colon in a rat model of colorectal cancer induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). A total of 25 male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: a negative control, a positive control, and three treatment groups with combined doses of 5%, 10%, and 15%. After a five-week treatment period, colon tissue was isolated and analyzed using Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. The results showed that the positive control group showed inflammation, nuclear enlargement, and preneoplastic changes, while the treatment group showed normal colonic epithelial structure without any indication of inflammation. These findings indicate that the combination of Sterculia foetida seed extract and VCO has a protective effect against colon tissue damage through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and microbiota modulation mechanisms, thus potentially being developed as a preventive nutraceutical agent for colorectal cancer.