Diallyl disulfide increases histone acetylation in colon cells in vitro and in vivo

Since epidemiological studies have suggested there is an inverse association between garlic consumption and risks of stomach and colorectal cancers,1,2 a large number of experimental studies have been carried out to determine whether allyl sulfur compounds could exhibit anticarcinogenic properties. In particular, diallyl disulfide (DADS) has been shown to inhibit rodent chemically induced carcinogenesis in various organs including colon. Available data reveal that DADS has the ability to modulate numerous biological mechanisms that may influence carcinogenesis (e.g., inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis).3,4 It has also been shown that DADS upregulates (H)-ferritin, a gene whose transcription is partly regulated by histone acetylation.5 In our laboratory we, at first, investigated the in vitro effect of DADS on histone acetylation in human tumor colon cell lines. We observed that DADS induced a rapid histone hyperacetylation that was transient with a single treatment or prolonged with a …