Antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties of Alpinia galanga,Curcuma amada,and Curcuma caesia

Objective:To compare the antioxidant and anti-genotoxic properties of Alpinia(A.)galanga,Curcuma(C.)amada,and C.caesia.Methods:Cytotoxicity of ethanolic extracts of A.galanga,C.amada,and C.caesia at selected doses was evaluated by trypan blue,MTT,and flow cytometry-based assays.Genotoxicity and anti-genotoxicity(against methyl methanesulfonate,35μM and H2O2,250μM)of these plants were studied by comet assay in human lymphocytes in vitro.Furthermore,DPPH,ABTS,FRAP,lipid peroxidation,and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays were performed to study the antioxidant potentials of the plants.Finally,anti-genotoxic potential of C.amada was validated in Swiss albino mice using comet assay.Phytochemical composition of C.amada was determined by GC/MS and HPLC.Results:The selected doses(2.5,5,and 10μg/mL)of A.galanga,C.amada,and C.caesia were non-toxic by cytotoxicity tests.All three ethanolic extracts of plant rhizomes demonstrated antioxidant and anti-genotoxic properties against methyl methanesulfonate-and H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro.Multivariate analysis revealed that various antioxidant properties of these extracts in DPPH,ABTS,and FRAP assays were strongly correlated with their total phenolic constituents.C.amada extract conferred protection against cyclophosphamide-induced DNA damage in the bone marrow cells of mice and DNA damage was significantly inhibited by 2.5 mg/kg C.amada extract.Conclusions:C.amada is rich in potentially bioactive molecules and exhibits potent antioxidant activities.Its anti-genotoxicity against cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress is also confirmed in this study.

Acai Fruit as a Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals

The fruit of the acai palm （Euterpe oleracea Mart.） is a rich source of potential bioactive phytochemicals, however neither its precise composition nor the putative benefits to health from its consumption have been fully characterised. This study aims to elucidate the composition of acai fruit pulp and to explore the potential of these extracts to confer protection in a cell culture based model of oxidative DNA damage. Extractions ofcai pulps were dissolved in a 80% methanol （methanol： water, 80：20 v/v） based solvent and the phytochemicals present in the extract were analysing by HPLC detector. Lipids were assessed via GC. The Folin-Ciocalteau assay was used to determine the purposes of providing a phytochemical rich food based comparator with established health benefits. Finally, protection against oxidative DNA damage was assessed in HT-29 cell lines exposed to hydrogen peroxide via the comet assay. Acai pulp extracts were found to be rich in flavonoids, anthocyanins and carotenoids. These extracts were found to protect against oxidative DNA damage （anti-genotoxicity）. A^ai extracts were more effective at preventing oxidative DNA damage than the blueberry extracts, although their antioxidant capacities as assessed by the FRAP assay were similar. These data shown that acai is a rich source of plant phytochemicals and that these chemicals may protect against oxidative stress in human colon cells （HT-29）. Further work is needed to establish the digestive fate of these phytochemicals and to prove the beneficial effects in human.