Phloretin alleviates colitis-associated colorectal cancer by modulating colonic inflammation and gut microbiota in mice

Colitis associated colorectal cancer (CAC) is the fourth most common cancer known to cause significant mortalities worldwide. Phloretin is a dihydrochalcone naturally found in apples, pear and strawberries. It exhibited different biological activities, namely anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-microbial. In the present study, the role of phloretin in alleviating colonic inflammation and regulating gut microbiota was explored. The treatment of phloretin intervened with intestinal inflammation and maintained the colon length-weight ratio by decreasing the total number of tumor nodules.