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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Microbiome and Metabolism Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151274
Title: WHEY PROTEIN HYDROLYSATE, BUT NOT WHOLE WHEY PROTEIN, PROTECTS AGAINST DMBA-INDUCED MAMMARY TUMORS IN RATS

Author
item BADGER, THOMAS - 6251-10-00
item KOROURIAN, SOHELIA - UAMS
item RONIS, MARTIN - UAMS
item HAKKAK, REZA - UAMS
item HALE, KIM - ACNC
item FERGUSON, MATTHEW - ACNC
item TREADAWAY, PAM - ACNC
item ROBINETTE, JAMES - ACNC

Submitted to: American Association of Cancer Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2003
Publication Date: 4/7/2003
Citation: BADGER, T.M., KOROURIAN, S., RONIS, M.J., HAKKAK, R., HALE, K., FERGUSON, M., TREADAWAY, P., ROBINETTE, J.M. Whey Protein Hydrolysate, But Not Whole Whey Protein, Protects Against DMBA-Induced Mammary Tumors in Rats. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CANCER RESEARCH. 2003. v. 44. p. 199. Abstract No. 870.

Interpretive Summary: The ACNC has been studying the effects of the three major proteins used in infant formulas on health of infants, children and adults. One group of milk proteins, whey proteins, has been shown to have especially potent cancer preventing effects. Furthermore, our results suggest that early feeding of whey may provide long-lasting protective effects. However, all of the studies have been performed on processed whey protein, rather than the native protein that occurs in milk. To determine if the same cancer protective effects would be present in un-processed whey protein, we compared the mammary gland tumor incidence in female rats fed diets made with either native (unprocessed) whey or processed whey (partially hydrolysed) after rats were treated with the procarcinogen DMBA. We found that feeding rats diets with the processed whey protein reduced the incidence by 35-40%, but un-processed whey diets did not reduce mammary tumors incidence. These results indicate that the processing of whey protein is necessary to provide the protective effect. We are currently studying the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of whey protein, focusing especially on how feeding it early in life may reduce breast cancer, a disease that typically develops in adulthood.

Technical Abstract: Previous studies from our laboratory have reported that consumption of diet containing whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) reduced the latency, incidence and multiplicity of chemically-induced carcinomas in rat mammary gland and colon following. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of intact whey protein (IWP) with WPH. AIN93G diets made with WPH, IWP, casein (CAS) or casein hydrolysate (CASH). Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of the above diets starting at PND4 and the offspring were fed the same diet as the dams. At age 50 d, female offspring (44-49/group) were orally gavaged with sesame oil containing 65 mg/kg DMBA and euthanized 62 d post-DMBA treatment. Rats fed the WPH had a tumor incidence of 35% to 40% of the rats fed CAS, CASH and IWP diets (P < 0.001). The median tumor latency for rats fed WPH was greater (61 d, P< 0.001) compared to CAS (44 d), CAS H (42 d) and IWP (45 d). The tumor multiplicity was lower (1.5 vs 3.0, P < 0.05) in rats fed WPH than in CAS and CASH fed group. These results demonstrate that whey protein must be hydrolyzed to be effective in reducing DMBA-induced mammary tumors. The mechanisms underlying these effects are yet to be identified.