Lack of promotive effect of quercetin on methylazoxymethanol acetate carcinogenesis in rats

Promoting effect of quercetin in the intestinal tract was examined in Sprague-Dawley strain rats. The rats were injected with methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) in saline solution at 25 mg/kg body weight once a week for 3 weeks and fed a diet containing 1% quercetin for the following 459 days. Most tumors found in this experimental group were also found in the group injected with MAM alone and there was no significant difference in tumor incidence between these two groups. No tumors were found in the group fed the 1% quercetin diet alone. Thus, quercetin was shown to lack of promoting activity on MAM-induced intestinal carcinogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats.