In vitro Antigenotoxicity of Ulva rigida C. Agardh (Chlorophyceae) Extract against Induction of Chromosome Aberration, Sister Chromatid Exchange and Micronuclei by Mutagenic Agent MMC

Objective To determine the in vitro possible clastogenic and cytotoxic activities of Ulva rigida crude extracts （URE）, and identify their antigenotoxic and protective effects on chemotherapeutic agent mitomycine-C （MMC）. Methods Anti-clastogenic and anti-genotoxic activities of Ulva rigida crude extracts （URE） were studied using chromosome aberration （CA）, sister chromatid exchange （SCE）, and micronuclei （MN） tests in human lymphocytes cultured in vitro. Results The chromosome aberration, sister chromatid exchange or micronuclei tests showed that URE at concentrations of 10, 20, and 40 lag/mL had no clastogenic activity in human lymphocyte cell culture. Three doses of URE significantly decreased the number of chromosomal aberrations and the frequencies of SCE and MN when compared with the culture treated with MMC （P〈0.0001）. Conclusion Although URE itself is not a clastogenic or cytotoxic substance, it possesses strong antigenotoxic, anti-clastogenic, and protective effects on MMC in vitro.

Evaluation of antigenotoxic effects of carotenoids from green algae Chlorococcum humicola using human lymphocytes

Objective:To identify the available phytochemicals and carotenoids in the selected green algae and evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic effect using lymphocytes.Methods:Organic,solvent extracts of Chlorococcum humicola(C.humicola)were used for the phytochemical analysis.The available carotenoids were assessed by HPLC,and LC-MS analysis.The genotoxicity was induced by the benzo(a)pyrene in the lymphocyte culture,the genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of algal carotenoids with and without genotoxic inducer were evaluated by chromosomal aberration(CA),sister chromatid exchange(SCE)and micronucleus assay(MN).Results:The results of the analysis showed that the algae were rich in carotenoids and fatty acids.In the total carotenoids lutein,β-carotene andα-carotene were found to be present in higher concentration.The frequency of CA and SCE increased by benzo(a)pyrene were significantly decreased by the carotenoids(P<0.05 for CA,P<0.001 for SCE).The MN frequencies of the cells were significantly decreased by the treatment with carotenoids when compared with the positive controls(P<0.05).Conclusions:The findings of the present study demonstrate that,the green algae C.humicola is a rich source of bioactive compounds especially carotenoids which effectively fight against environmental genotoxic agents,the carotenoids itself is not a genotoxic substance and should be further considered for its beneficial effects.

Antioxidant and Antigenotoxic Activity of Bioactive Extracts from Corn Tassel

This study is designed to evaluate antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities of corn tassel extracts（CTTs）. The major bioactive components of CTTs include flavonoid, saponin and polysaccharide. The antioxidant properties of the three bioactive components of CTTs were investigated by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Property（FRAP） and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl（DPPH） assays. The activities of the extracts were determined by assessing the inhibition of mutagenicity of the direct-acting mutagen fenaminosulf, sodium azide, and indirect-acting mutagen 2-aminofluorene using the Ames test（strains TA98 and TA100）. The results showed that the extraction rates of flavonoid, saponin, and polysaccharide from the dried corn tassels were 1.67%, 2.41% and 4.76% respectively. DPPH and FRAP assay strongly demonstrated that CTTs had antioxidant properties. CTTs at doses of 625, 1250 and 2500 μg per plate reduced 2-aminofluorene mutagenicity by 12.52%, 28.76% and 36.49% in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain assay respectively and by 10.98%, 25.27% and 37.83%, at the same doses in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 assay system, respectively. 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay showed that the different concentrations of CTTs inhibited the proliferation of MGC80-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner（P0.01）. It is concluded that these integrated approaches to antioxidant and antigenotoxicity assessment may be useful to study corn tassel as a natural herbal material.

Protective effect of Genistein against N-nitrosodiethylamine(NDEA)-induced hepatotoxicity in Swiss albino rats

In the present study,we studied the effect of Genistein against the hepatotoxicity induced by N-nitrosodiethylamine（NDEA）.NDEA is present in almost all kinds of food stuff and has been reported to be a hepatocarcinogen.The male rats were exposed to NDEA（0.1 mg/mL） dissolved in drinking water separately and along with 25,50,100 mg/mL of Genistein for 21 days.The activities of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase（SGOT）,serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase（SGPT）.alkaline phosphatase（ALP） and lactate dehydrogenase（LDH） were measured in blood serum.Lipid peroxidation,protein carbonyl content,micronucleus frequency and DNA damage（Comet assay） were performed on rat hepatocytes.The results of the study reveal that the treatment of NDEA along with Genistein showed a significant dose-dependent decrease in the levels of blood serum enzymes i.e.,SGOT,SGPT,ALP and LDH（P〈0.05）.The HE staining of histological sections of the liver also revealed a protective effect of Genistein.A significant dose-dependent reduction in the lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl content was observed in rats exposed to NDEA（0.1 mg/mL） along with Genistein（P〈0.05）.The results obtained for the comet assay in rat hepatocytes showed a significant dose-dependent decrease in the mean tail length（P〈0.05）.Thus the present study supports the hepatoprotective role of Genistein.

Genoprotection and metabolic benefits of marine macroalgae-Insights into the concept of functional foods through direct and indirect consumption

The consumption of marine macroalgae has been linked with health benefits,albeit some actions,including genoprotection,remain underexplored.Hence,we evaluated the genoprotective potential of a mixture of Ulva rigida,Fucus vesiculosus and Gracilaria gracilis,through direct consumption or via indirect intake using fish(Sparus aurata)as a vector of algal phytocompounds.Mice(Mus musculus)were subjected to a 1-month dietary supplementation with 5%of macroalgae mix or 10%of fillet of fish previously fed with an algae-supplemented aquafeed(for comparison purposes,10%supplementation with fillet of fish standardly fed was also considered).Thereafter,mice were challenged by the genotoxicant methyl methanesulfonate(MMS),and the genetic damage was evaluated through the micronuclei test.Complementarily,a wider evaluation was carried out encompassing the assessment of energy metabolism,haematological and histological parameters,as well as growth performance.Macroalgae unequivocally protected against MMS-induced genotoxicity.The activity profile of hepatic lactate and isocitrate dehydrogenases promoted by the supplemented diets reflected an improved energy balance.Genoprotection properties were not transferred via fish fed with the algae-supplemented aquafeed,though the transference of phytocomponents with beneficial properties(viz.energy balance improvement)should not be disregarded.Overall,these findings highlighted the genoprotection afforded by marine macroalgae,likely promoted by desmutagenic factors,reinforcing their definition as functional food.The possibility of using fish as an indirect source of algae-borne phytocomponents proved to be plausible and worthy of further investigations.