Yosra Ayed

The antigenotoxic activities of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes against the mycotoxin zearalenone in Balb/c mice: prevention of micronuclei, chromosome aberrations and DNA fragmentation.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a potent estrogenic metabolite. Evidence of its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity has recently emerged from several reports. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes to protect Balb/c mice against ZEN induced genotoxicity. To this end, the effect of a single dose of ZEN (40 mg/kg b.w.) alone and with extract of cactus cladodes (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg b.w.) was monitored by measuring: (i) micronuclei induction in bone marrow cells, (ii) chromosome aberrations mainly breaks and gaps in bone marrow cells also and finally and (iii) DNA fragmentation in liver and kidney. Our results clearly show that ZEN is genotoxic to Balb/c mice. It induces DNA damage as indicated by DNA fragmentation, micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells. It is of note that cactus cladodes extract assayed alone at high dose (100 mg/kg b.w.) was found completely safe and did not induce any genotoxic effects. The simultaneous administration of cactus cladodes extract with ZEN resulted in an efficient prevention of micronuclei (the number of PCE MN decreased from 71.3+/-6.1 for animals treated with Zen to 32.6+/-15.5 for animals treated with cactus cladodes), chromosomal aberrations frequency (the % of chromosomal aberrations decreased from 38.3+/-3.0 to 18.6+/-1.1) in bone marrow cells and of DNA fragmentation compared to the group treated with ZEN alone. It could be concluded that cactus cladodes extract was effective in the protection against ZEN genotoxicity. This could be relevant, particularly with the emergent demand for natural products which may neutralize the genotoxic effects of the multiple food contaminants.

Antioxidative and antigenotoxic effect of vitamin E against patulin cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in HepG2 cells

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin produced in fruits, mainly in apples, by certain species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssochlamys. It has been shown that PAT is cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic in different cell types. Several studies incriminate the oxidative stress as a mechanism of PAT‐mediated toxicity. In this context, our aim was to investigate the protective role of Vitamin E (Vit E), an antioxidant agent, against PAT induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in cultured HepG2 cells. The obtained results showed that addition of Vit E in cells treated with PAT significantly reduce cell mortality induced by this toxin. In the same conditions, Vit E decreased the intracellular level of ROS, reduced PAT induced p53 expression, and reversed PAT induced DNA damage. In addition, Vit E prevented significantly the percentage of chromosome aberrations induced by PAT in HepG2 cells in a concentration dependant manner. These results suggest that Vit E, an exogenous antioxidant agent, plays an important role in defense against PAT‐induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, which confirms the involvement of oxidative stress in the induction of DNA damage by PAT in HepG2 cells.

In vitro and in vivo induction of chromosome aberrations by alpha- and beta-zearalenols: comparison with zearalenone.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi. It contaminates different components of the food chain and can cause serious economic and public health problems. The major metabolites of ZEN in various animal species are alpha- and beta-zearalenol (α-, β-ZOL). Some in vivo studies have shown that these two metabolites are as toxic as the mother molecule (ZEN), but other investigations have demonstrated that α- and β-ZOL are less toxic than ZEN. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of α- and β-ZOL in vivo, in mouse bone-marrow cells and in vitro, in cultured HeLa cells, and to compare it with ZEN. ZEN showed the same cytotoxicity as α-ZOL and both are more cytotoxic than β-ZOL. Genotoxicity of ZEN and its derivatives was assessed by the chromosome aberration assay. Our results show that ZEN as well as α- and β-ZOL increased the percentage of chromosome aberrations in mouse bone-marrow cells and in HeLa cells. In the two systems, ZEN and α-ZOL exhibited the same range of genotoxicity and both were more genotoxic than β-ZOL. Furthermore, our results show that either ZEN or its two metabolites inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. We conclude that biotransformation of ZEN may be considered as only a partial detoxification pathway since the resulting metabolites remain relatively toxic.

Induction of cytotoxicity of Pelagia noctiluca venom causes reactive oxygen species generation, lipid peroxydation induction and DNA damage in human colon cancer cells

BackgroundThe long-lasting and abundant blooming of Pelagia noctiluca in Tunisian coastal waters compromises both touristic and fishing activities and causes substantial economic losses. Determining their molecular mode of action is, important in order to limit or prevent the subsequent damages. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the propensity of Pelagia noctiluca venom to cause oxidative damage in HCT 116 cells and its associated genotoxic effects.ResultsOur results indicated an overproduction of ROS, an induction of catalase activity and an increase of MDA generation. We looked for DNA fragmentation by means of the comet assay. Results indicated that venom of Pelagia noctiluca induced DNA fragmentation. SDS-PAGE analysis of Pelagia noctiluca venom revealed at least 15 protein bands of molecular weights ranging from 4 to 120 kDa.ConclusionOxidative damage may be an initiating event and contributes, in part, to the mechanism of toxicity of Pelagia noctiluca venom.

Is cell death induced by nematocysts extract of medusa pelagia noctiluca related to oxidative stress

Pelagia noctiluca, a jellyfish widely distributed in the Mediterranean waters, especially in coastal areas of Tunisia, has garnered attention because of its stinging capacity and the resulting public health hazard. Crude extracts of P. noctiluca nematocysts have been tested for their cytotoxicity on Vero cells. Our results clearly showed that nematocysts induced cell mortality in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. A cytoprotective effect against cell mortality was obtained when Vero cells were treated with Vitamin E. This process was further confirmed by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the induction of Hsp 70 and 27 protein expressions. Thus, our findings suggested that oxidative stress is involved in the toxicity of pelagia nematocysts and may therefore constitute the major mechanism of this medusa nematocysts toxicity.

Impairment of the cell-to-matrix adhesion and cytotoxicity induced by the Mediterranean jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca venom and its fractions in cultured glioblastoma cells.

BackgroundThe biodiversity of the marine environment and the associated chemical diversity constitute a practically unlimited source of new active substances in the field of the development of bioactive products. In our study, we have investigated the efficiency of the venom from the Mediterranean jellyfish, Pelagia noctiluca and its fractions for anti-proliferative and anti-cell adhesion to cell–extracellular matrix activities.ResultsOur experiments have indicated that the separation of the Mediterranean jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca crude venom extract by sephadex G-75 chromatography led to four fractions (F1, F2, F3, and F4). Among the four fractions F1 and F3 were cytotoxic against U87 cells with IC50 values of 125 and 179 μg/ml respectively. The venom, F1, F2 and F 3 showed significant anti-proliferative activity in time-dependent manner. Our results also suggest that these fractions and the venom are able to inhibit cell adhesion to fibrinogen in dose-dependent manner. This inhibition is reliant on its ability to interact with integrins.ConclusionsTo conclude, we have demonstrated for the first time that Pelagia noctiluca venom and its fractions especially (F1 and F2) display potent anti-tumoral properties. Separation by sephadex G-75 chromatography give rise to more active fractions than the crude venom extract. The purification and the determination of chemical structures of compounds of these active fractions are under investigation. Overall, Pelagia noctiluca venom may has the potential to serve as a template for future anticancer-drug development.

Analgesic and antibutyrylcholinestrasic activities of the venom prepared from the Mediterranean jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca (Forsskal, 1775)

BackgroundToxins derived from jellyfishes have been exploited as a model for the development of new drug promising applications to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The present work is aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of crude venom of Pelagia noctiluca and then to screen the analgesic and antibutyrylcholinestrasic (anti-BuChE) activities of the crude venom and its fractions.MethodsSephadex G75 gel was used to separate crude venom of Pelagia noctiluca, which led to some fractions. In addition, in vivo analgesic and in vitro plasma antibutyrylcholinestrasic activities were carried out with Pelagia crude venom and its fractions respectively.ResultsThe crude venom and its fractions displayed analgesic and anti-BuChE activities at different doses without inducing acute toxicity. Fraction 2 possesses the highest analgesic and antibutyrylcholinestrasic properties. The crude venom and fraction 1 had shown to possess less significant inhibitory activity against analgesic and antibutyrylcholinestrasic models.ConclusionsBased on this study, the crude venom of Pelagia noctiluca is found to be a useful tool for probing pharmacological activity. The purification and the determination of chemical structures of compounds of active fractions of the venom are under investigation.

Assessment of Chromosomal Aberrations and Micronuclei in Peripheral Lymphocytes from Tunisian Hospital Workers Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Epidemiological studies suggest that cytogenetic biomarkers, such as micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes may predict cancer risk because they indicate genomic instability. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequencies of MN and chromosome aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of hospital workers exposed to ionizing radiation and healthy subjects. The study was conducted using peripheral blood lymphocytes from 30 workers from the radiology department and 30 from the cardiology department. This study included 27 healthy age- and sex-matched individuals as the control group. The assessment of chromosomal damage was carried out by the use of CA and micronucleus assays in peripheral lymphocytes. Our results show that CA and micronucleus frequencies were significantly higher among the exposed groups when compared to controls. Our finding of significant increase of CA and MN frequencies in peripheral lymphocytes in exposed workers indicates a potential cytogenetic hazard due to this exposure. The enhanced chromosomal damage of subjects exposed to genotoxic agents emphasizes the need to develop safety programs.

Cell death in relation to DNA damage after exposure to the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca nematocysts

Studies on the toxicity of Mediterranean jellyfish have gained attention owing to their weak toxic properties. Our research has been mainly performed on the Scyphomedusae. Pelagia noctiluca is a scyphozoan jellyfish which causes a danger to sea bathers and fishery damages in the Mediterranean Sea. To check whether the cytotoxicity of Pelagia noctiluca nematocysts was associated to DNA lesions, we have looked for DNA fragmentation by means of the Comet and chromosome aberration assays. To specify cell death pathway, we have investigated caspase‐3 activation. Our results have shown that nematocysts reduced cell viability and induced DNA fragmentation in a concentration‐dependent manner with a maximum effect at 150 000 nematocysts mL−1. The high percentage of chromosome aberrations also emphasized the genotoxic character of Pelagia noctiluca nematocysts in Vero cells. This fragmentation was correlated to apoptosis induction which was confirmed by caspase‐3 activation. In conclusion, the present report has suggested that Pelagia noctiluca nematocysts were able to promote apoptosis in Vero cells and therefore may be useful in cancer therapy.

Proliferative effect of the phycotoxin domoic acid on cancer cell lines: a preliminary evaluation

ABSTRACT Domoic acid (DA) is a neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning. It is produced by algae and accumulates in shellfish. Consumption of these contaminated shellfishes is suspected to produce exceptional health hazards for humans. Effect of DA on cancer cell lines remained unclear. Human endothelial cells EA.hy 927, Human leukaemia K562 cells and monkey kidney Vero cells were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of DA. Concentrations ranging from 30 to 120 µM of DA and using Neutral Red and MTT assays demonstrated that this neurotoxin undertook promotion of cell proliferation of the three cell lines in a dose-dependent manner in contrast to untreated control cells, after incubation for 72 h. An increase in the percentage of proliferation was induced by a 120 µM of DA. The proliferation of K562 cells is encouraged by DA more than Vero and EA.hy 927 cells. The study highlighted the activity of DA in vitro. This could be taken as reflecting the tumorigenic compound of DA. For establishment of the carcinogenic potential of DA, there is a requirement of further investigations.