title: Investigation of anti-oxidative, cytotoxic, DNA-damaging and DNA-protective effects of plant volatiles eugenol and borneol in human-derived HepG2, Caco-2 and VH10 cell lines.
abstract: Plant volatiles, which can get into the human organism in food, medicines, or cosmetic preparations, frequently manifest antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and other effects. We studied anti-oxidative, cytotoxic, genotoxic and possible DNA-protective effects of eugenol and borneol. Anti-oxidative activities of aqueous and ethanolic solutions of these two volatile compounds of plants were determined by a spectrophotometric method by the use of the stable DPPH radical. Borneol did not show any anti-oxidative activity even at the highest concentrations soluble in water or ethanol (<1000mM), while eugenol did manifest anti-oxidative activity, and at much lower concentrations (5-100 microM). The cytotoxicity of eugenol and borneol as well as their DNA-damaging effects and their influence on sensitivity of cells against the DNA-damaging effects of H(2)O(2) were investigated in three different cell lines, i.e. malignant HepG2 hepatoma cells, malignant Caco-2 colon cells, and nonmalignant human VH10 fibroblasts. The trypan-blue exclusion assay showed that in the three cell lines the cytotoxicity of eugenol was significantly higher than that of borneol. Single-cell gel electrophoresis revealed that borneol did not cause any DNA strand-breaks at the concentrations studied, but showed that all concentrations of eugenol (<600 microM) significantly increased the level of DNA breaks in human VH10 fibroblasts and to a lower degree in Caco-2 colon cells. The DNA-damaging effects of eugenol were not observed in metabolically active HepG2 hepatoma cells. Borneol and eugenol differed also with respect to their DNA-protective effects. While borneol protected HepG2 and, to a lesser extent, VH10 cells (but not Caco-2) against H(2)O(2)-induced DNA damage, eugenol either did not change the cellular sensitivity to H(2)O(2) (HepG2 cells) or it even increased the sensitivity (Caco-2 and VH10 cells). These results do not indicate any correlation between the DNA-protective and the anti-oxidative capacities of eugenol and borneol.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 833 91 Bratislava, Slovakia. exonslam@savba.sk
authors.forename: Darina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Slamenová
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Horváthová
authors.forename: Ladislava
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wsólová
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sramková
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarová
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D001892:Camphanes / Q000633:toxicity*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D054697:Cytostatic Agents; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D005054:Eugenol / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D009153:Mutagens; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D001892:Camphanes; D054697:Cytostatic Agents; D009153:Mutagens; D005054:Eugenol; C022871:isoborneol