The study found new molecular mechanisms linked to obesity and colon cancer

obesity has become a global health problem, and there is ample evidence that obese people are at higher risk of colon cancer, and inflammation of colon tissue is a major risk factor for colon cancer. A study published
new molecular mechanisms that increase inflammation of colon tissue from obesity.
The Zhang Guodong Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amster and the Bruce Hammock Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, have found in mouse experiments that a "soluble cyclooxid hydrolyzed enzyme" (sEH) is associated with inflammation of colon tissue caused by obesity, which inhibits inflammation of colon tissue and thereby reduces the risk of colon cancer.
researchers used a metabolomic method based on a joint liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to find higher levels of fatty acid metabolites produced by sEH in the colon tissue of obese mice. "Based on metabolomic data, we further found that the expression of sEH in colon tissue in obese mice increased significantly," said Zhang Guodong, the paper's co-author. The
used two different enzyme inhibitors and mice that did not produce the enzyme after genetic knockout to verify that sEH played a key role in colon inflammation caused by obesity.
" knockout of sEH, even in obese mice on a high-fat diet, inflammation of colon tissue was blocked, suggesting that sEH inhibitors may be an effective way to prevent colon and rectal cancer caused by obesity. Zhang Jianan, co-first author and doctoral student, said.
, sEH inhibitors have been used in human clinical trials to treat other inflammatory diseases. Phase I human clinical trials have found that these drugs are safe and have no side effects. Zhang Guodong said these clinical resources will promote the future use of such drugs to prevent the risk of colon and rectal cancer caused by obesity, without the need to develop drugs from scratch. (Source: Xinhua News Agency Zhou Zhou)