title: Antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of lyophilized beer extracts on HL-60 cell line.
abstract: An impressive number of studies have suggested that red wine can be considered the protective beverage of choice against chronic and degenerative pathologies. Only few and controversial data are available on a potential, similar role for beer, which represents a more cost-effective, safe, and widely available beverage. Starting from the evidence that many antioxidant compounds present in red wine are also present at similar or even higher concentrations in beers, we first screened 48 commercially available beers and selected one (Mrt-HP) with very high polyphenol concentration and antioxidant activity estimated by ferric reducing antioxidant power. We demonstrated that a lyophilized preparation of Mrt-HP beer was cytotoxic with respect to a beer with low polyphenolic content (Trt-LP) when assayed on HL-60 human leukemia cell line. We measured a 60% decrease in cell viability at a polyphenol concentration of 250 microM quercetin equivalents. We also demonstrated that Mrt-HP cytotoxicity was not an artifact due to cell growth conditions because addition of Mrt-HP extracts to cell medium generated peroxide levels indistinguishable from controls. By means of cytofluorimetric analysis of pre-G1 population and caspase 3 activation, we demonstrated that Mrt-HP extracts activated apoptosis in HL-60 cell line. Finally, we found that the concentration of quercetin, resveratrol, and gallic acid in Mrt-HP was 10, 4.6, and 4.6-fold higher, respectively, than in Trt-LP, suggesting that the presence of these molecules might be responsible for the observed cytotoxicity. These data, together with the low in vivo beer toxicity reported in the literature, suggest a possible chemopreventive role for this beverage that requires further studies in animal models.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Avellino, Italy.
authors.forename: Idolo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tedesco
authors.forename: Annunziata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nappo
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petitto
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iacomino
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nazzaro
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: Gian Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Russo
mesh_terms: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001515:Beer; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005612:Freeze Drying; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059808:Polyphenols
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases