PURPOSE: To assess weight changes in rats fed diets with different ratios of omegas 3, 6 and 9 submitted to colonic carcinogenesis induced by Azoxymethane (AOM). METHODS: Sixty rats with three weeks of life were distributed into five groups of specific diets containing 12 animals each: GI- Standard diet without adminstration of AOM, GII- Standard diet with adminstration of AOM; GIII- Hyperlipidic diet with adminstration of AOM; GIV-Normolipidic diet with adminstration of AOM; GV- Hypolipidic diet with adminstration of AOM. The weight and food intake of each group were assessed four times in each week throughout the experiment until euthanasia at 36th week. RESULTS: GI and GII had no significant difference in weight. GI showed a significant increase when compared to GIII, GIV and GV. GII also showed a significant increase when compared to GIII, GIV and GV. When comparing intake of GI as compared to GII no significant difference was found, however such groups had higher intake than groups III, IV and V. There were found no difference in weight when comparing amoung rats with and without cancer within each groups: GII, GIII, GIV and GV. CONCLUSIONS: Diets rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 reduced food intake and weight. Rats with colorectal cancer had no decrease in weight as compared to those without this condition in the same group.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar as repercussões hepáticas da carcinogênese colônica induzida por diferentes doses e tempos de exposição ao azoximetano em ratos Wistar. MÉTODOS: Quarenta e quatro ratos foram distribuídos em quatro grupos. Os animais tinham oito semanas no início do experimento. No grupo 1, receberam 1.0mL de solução salina intraperitonealmente uma vez por semana por duas semanas. No grupo 2, receberam 15 mg/kg de azoximetano intraperitonealmente uma vez por semana por duas semanas. Esses animais foram mortos na 15ª semana do experimento. Os animais do grupo 3 receberam solução salina intraperitonealmente uma vez por semana por duas semanas. Os animais do grupo 4 receberam 20mg/kg de azoximetano intraperitonealmente uma vez por semana por duas semanas. Esses animais foram mortos na 26ª semana do experimento. Os fragmentos de tecido hepático foram corados pela hematoxilina e eosina e avaliadas microscopicamente. RESULTADOS: Grupo 1 e grupo 2 diferiram significantemente em relação a esteatose, mas não houve diferença entre o grupo 3 e o grupo 4. No entanto, no grupo 4 foram observadas lesões pré-neoplásicas (focos de células alteradas, claras, vacuoladas, basofílicas, anfofílicas, tigróides, oncocíticas, pequenas ou acidófilas, espongioses e pelioses) e lesões neoplásicas (colangiomas e adenomas) contendo hepatócitos atípicos de permeio, não identificados no grupo 3. CONCLUSÃO: No modelo de carcinogênese colorretal, lesões hepáticas pré-neoplásicas e neoplásicas aparecem e evoluem na proporção do tempo e dose de exposição ao azoximetano.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hepatic effects of colonic carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane at different doses and times of exposure in rats. METHODS: Forty-four Wistar rats were divided into four groups. The animals were eight weeks at the beginning of the experiment. group 1 received 1.0ml of saline intraperitoneally once a week for two weeks. Group 2 received 15 mg/kg of azoxymethane intraperitoneally once a week for two weeks. These animals were killed at the 15th week of the experiment. The animals of group 3 received saline intraperitoneally once a week for two weeks. Group 4 animals received 20mg/kg of azoxymethane intraperitoneally once a week for two weeks. These animals were killed at the 26th week of the experiment. The fragments of liver tissue were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and evaluated microscopically. RESULTS: Groups 1 and 2 differed significantly in relation to steatosis, no difference having been found between group 3 and group 4. However, in group 4 we observed pre-neoplastic lesions (foci of altered, clear, vacuolated, basophilic, amphophilic tigroid, oncocytic, small or acidophilus cells, spongiosis and peliosis) and neoplastic lesions (adenomas and colangiomas) containing atypical hepatocytes in between, not identified in group 3. CONCLUSION: In the model of colorectal carcinogenesis, preneoplastic and neoplastic hepatic lesions appear and evolve in proportion to the time of exposure and dose of azoxymethane.