title: Protective effects of diallyl sulfide on N-nitrosodimethylamine-induced immunosuppression in mice.
abstract: Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a flavor component of garlic that has been used as a food additive, exerts chemopreventive effects at several organ sites in rodents after administration of chemical carcinogens possibly by inhibiting carcinogen activation via cytochrome P450-mediated oxidative metabolism. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of DAS on the N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)-induced immunosuppression of humoral and cellular responses in BALB/c mice and the possible mechanisms involved in this protection. We observed that oral administration of DAS prior to NDMA treatment for 14 consecutive days blocked the NDMA-induced suppression of the antibody response to a T-cell-dependent antigen, sheep erythrocytes, and the lymphoproliferative response to the T-cell and the B-cell mitogens in dose-dependent manners. Treatment of mice with DAS resulted in a significant decrease of cytochrome P450 2E1-dependent p-nitrophenol hydroxylase and NDMA demethylase activities. The results show that the protective effects of DAS against the NDMA-induced immunotoxicity may, at least in part, be due to its ability to block bioactivation of NDMA mainly by the inhibition of cytochrome P450 2E1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Chosun University, Kwangju, South Korea. hgjeong@chosun.ac.kr
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000498:Allyl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 / Q000378:metabolism; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005737:Garlic / Q000737:chemistry; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012756:Sheep; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013440:Sulfides / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000498:Allyl Compounds; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002273:Carcinogens; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008934:Mitogens; D013440:Sulfides; C038491:allyl sulfide; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine