Abstract

Dietary habits have been causally implicated in gastric carcinogenesis, whereas minor dietary items may also play a part. Wasabi is a popular pungent spice in Japanese meals. In this study the effect of wasabi on N‐methyl‐N'‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)‐induced gastric carcinogenesis was studied in rats. Wistar WKY male rats received drinking water containing 50 μg/ml of MNNG or tap water alone and a basal diet (PCE‐2) or PCE‐2 containing 10% (wt/wt) of wasabi powder for 40 weeks. Thus, three groups were completed as MNNG + PCE‐2 (n = 30), MNNG + wasabi (n = 30), and tap water + wasabi (n = 30). At autopsy, nine rats (30%) had seven glandular stomach tumors (2 adenocarcinomas, 2 adenomatous polyps, and 3 adenomatous glandular hyperplasias) and three duodenal adenocarcinomas in the MNNG + PCE‐2 group, whereas in the MNNG + wasabi group, two rats (7%) had one forestomach epidermoid cyst and one duodenal carcinosarcoma (corrected χ² = 4.63, p < 0.05 for incidences of glandular stomach tumors between 2 groups). In addition, two rats had microscopic atypical glands in the MNNG + PCE‐2 group. There was no tumor in the tap water + wasabi group. These results indicated that glandular stomach carcinogenesis induced by MNNG was suppressed by the administration of wasabi.