Current trends and perspectives in nutrition and cancer prevention

There is an increasing evidence that dietary phytochemicals may play important roles as chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents in prevention of many diseases, including tumors. The purpose of this study was to examine antimutagenic effects and effect on the immune response of representative series of substances which commonly occur in human diet. Using the Ames bacterial mutagenicity test and in vivo chemiluminescence test, we investigated antigenotoxic and immunomodulatory effects of juices and vegetable homogenates (carrot + cauliflower, cauliflower, red cabbage, broccoli, onion, garlic) on the genotoxicity of AFB1 and pyrolysates of aminoacids. Using the Ames test and in vivo micronucleus, the chemiluminescence test, the blastic transformation test and the comet assay we examined antimutagenic effects of chemically identified chemoprotective substances in the pure form (resveratrol, diallylsulphide, phenethyl isothiocyanate, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein and curcumin) on mutagenicity induced by three reference mutagens: aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 2-amino-3-metylimidazo[4,5,-f] chinolin (IQ) and N-nitroso- N-metylurea (MNU) and effect of phytochemicals on the immunosuppression caused by these mutagens. All complete vegetable homogenates and substances of plant origin tested, showed a clear antimutagenic and immunomodulatory activities on mutagenicity and immunosuppression induced by reference mutagens. Only in the Ames test the effect of some phytochemicals against direct mutagen MNU was lower compared to indirect mutagens AFB1 and IQ. Similarly, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate had no inhibitory effect on mutagenicity MNU in the Ames test.

DNA adducts, strand breaks and micronuclei in mice exposed to styrene by inhalation

Genotoxic and clastogenic effects of styrene were studied in mice. Male NMRI mice were exposed by inhalation to styrene in concentrations of 750 and 1500 mg/m3 for 21, 7, 3 and 1 days (6 h/day, 7 days/week). Followed parameters included styrene in blood, specific styrene oxide (SO) induced DNA adducts, DNA strand breaks and micronuclei. The formation of SO induced 7-SO-guanines and 1-SO-adenines in DNA was analysed from lung tissues by two versions of the 32P-postlabeling technique. In lungs after 21 days of exposure to 1500 mg/m3 the level of 7-SO-guanine was 23.0+/-11.9 adducts/10(8) normal nucleotides, while 1-SO-adenine was detected at the levels of 0.6+/-0.2 adducts/10(8) normal nucleotides. Both 7-SO-guanines and 1-SO-adenines strongly correlated with exposure parameters, particularly with styrene concentration in blood (r=0.875, P=0.0002 and r=0.793, P=0.002, respectively). DNA breaks were measured in peripheral lymphocytes, bone marrow cells and liver cells using comet assay. To discern oxidative damage and abasic sites, endonuclease III was used. In bone marrow of exposed mice slight increase of strand breaks can be detected after 7 days of inhalation. A significant increase was revealed in the endonuclease III-sensitive sites after 21 days of inhalation in bone marrow. In the liver cells inhalation exposure to both concentrations of styrene did not virtually affect either levels of DNA single-strand breaks or endonuclease III-sensitive sites. The inhalation of 1500 mg/m3 of styrene induced significant increase of micronuclei after 7 days of exposure (10.4+/-2.5/1000 cells, i.e. twice higher micronuclei frequency than in controls). After 21 days of inhalation no significant difference between the control group and the two exposed groups was observed. Whether the decrease of micronuclei after 21 days of inhalation was due to the inhibition of cell proliferation caused by styrene or due to the natural elimination of chromatide fragments, remains to be clarified. An interesting link has been found between DNA single-strand breaks in bone marrow and frequencies of micronuclei (r=0.721, P=0.028).

Dose and time dependence of chromosomal aberration yields of bone marrow cells in male Chinese hamsters after a single i.p. injection of aflatoxin B1

The frequency of chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells, after a single i.p. aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) dose, was examined in male Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus). There was a significant increase in aberrant cells within 5 days of administration of a dose of 0.1 micrograms-5 mg AFB1/kg, and on the 36th day. After a single dose of 5 mg AFB1/kg the enhanced frequency of aberrant cells was monitored up to day 104 with no sign of a decrease to control level. The results indicate that the minimum mutagenic effect of an AFB1 dose in this system is 0.1 micrograms/kg. Attention is drawn to the long-term presence of chromosomal aberrations even after a single i.p. exposure to AFB1.