Effects of fatty acids and phytochemicals on inflammation in APCmin/+ mice, a model of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is a common form of malignancy in developed countries, and its incidence keeps increasing every year. Many are the factors that contribute to its development. However, food habit seems to play a very important role in this type of cancer . Because of the importance on colorectal cancer, I have performed an animal experiment, using the APCmin/+ mouse model, which is one of the most used models to assess effects of diet. One of the objectives of my study is to analyze the effects of the di ets on inflammatory markers. Moreover, inflammation has been implicated in tumorigenesis, which increases susceptibility to colorectal cancer. The biggest challenge is to find out if there are significant changes on inflammatory state, and afterwards fin d out where the inflammation is locally or systemic. Also, identifying the specific inflammatory molecules will give us a clue of the possible mechanisms in which diet may be affecting, or not, the tumours development. If the results are promising, and s how that specific nutrients may prevent the development of colorectal cancer, the present study will be relevant to give base and important insights in order to design human interventions in the future. Until we get there, there is a lot of basic scientif ic to be achieved, and understanding inflammation related to colorectal cancer is an essential step. Moreover, the exchange of expertise between United Kingdom and Norway will contribute to consolidate knowledge on colorectal cancer prevention, and stren gthen scientific links for future research cooperation.