Alessandra Paim Berti

Radioprotective effect of the Barbados Cherry ( Malpighia glabra L.) against radiopharmaceutical Iodine-131 in Wistar rats in vivo

BackgroundThe increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables has contributed to the improvement of populational health, due in part, to the abundance of antioxidants in these foods. Antioxidants reduce the level of oxidative damage to DNA caused by free radicals and ionizing radiation, including the radioisotope iodine-131 (131I). This isotope is used for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid injuries, such as hyperthyroidism and cancer.MethodsThis study aimed to evaluate the radioprotective and cytotoxic activity of acute and subchronic treatments with Barbados Cherry (BC) (Malpighia glabra L.) fruit juice (5 mg), which is rich in potent antioxidants such as vitamin C, phenols, carotenoids, anthocyanins and yellow flavonoids and its activity against the mutagenic activity of the therapeutic dose of 25 μCi of radioiodine for hyperthyroidism. The test system used was the bone marrow cells of Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) that were treated in vivo by gavage.ResultsBC showed radioprotective activity in acute treatments, which is most likely due to the joint action of its antioxidant components. In subchronic treatments, the continuous treatment presented an effective radioprotective activity, which was significantly different from treatment with the radiopharmaceutical only. Treatment with BC prior to (PRE) and simultaneous with (SIM) ionizing radiation decreased the number of induced chromosomal alterations, while post-treatment produced no protective effect. In addition, BC exhibited no cytotoxic activity.ConclusionsThese data serve as evidence that BC can be used as a preventive health measure to improve public health quality by countering the action of inevitable exposure to mutagens, such as 131I.

Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of cola and grape flavored soft drinks in bone marrow cells of rodents

Devido ao grande consumo de refrigerantes no Brasil e no mundo nos ultimos anos, e tendo em vista que alguns dos componentes presentes na composicao destes possuem potenciais danosos para os organismos, em especial o humano, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial citotoxico e mutagenico de uma marca de refrigerante sabor Cola e uma de sabor Uva. Foram utilizadas como sistema-teste as celulas de medula ossea de ratos Wistar, tratados via gavagem com dose unica do refrigerante sabor Cola ou Uva e, em seguida, fornecidos ad libitum (no lugar da agua), por 24 horas. Foi feito um controle negativo, administrando agua, em dose unica, e um controle positivo administrando ciclofosfamida, via intraperitoneal. A analise estatistica mostrou que os refrigerantes sabor Cola e Uva nao foram citotoxicos. Entretanto, o refrigerante sabor Cola foi mutagenico neste sistema-teste e tempo de tratamento. Desta forma, este estudo serve de alerta para o consumo de refrigerantes sabor Cola e indica que estudos subcronicos e cronicos com os refrigerantes devem ser realizados, a fim avaliar os efeitos mutagenicos e citotoxicos dessas substâncias a longo prazo.