title: Evaluation of antigenotoxic effects of plant flavonoids quercetin and rutin on HepG2 cells.
abstract: The flavonoid quercetin and its derivative rutin were investigated for genotoxicity/antigenotoxicity activity in human hepatoma HepG2 cells using the comet assay. The extract cytotoxicity was evaluated using the trypan blue exclusion dye method with quercetin and rutin concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 200.0 μg/mL of culture medium. Three minor non-cytotoxic concentrations were chosen to evaluate the genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of the flavonoids (0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 μg/mL) through comet assay. The cultures were treated with three different concentrations of rutin or quercetin (genotoxicity) or their association with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) or doxorubicin (DXR) (antigenotoxicity test) in three protocols: pre-treatment, simultaneous treatment and post-treatment. The cell cultures were also treated with 1% DMSO (control group), AFB1, MMS and DXR (positive-control). Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and Dunnett's test (p ≤ 0.05). Quercetin at concentrations higher than 10.0 μg/mL or rutin higher than 50.0 μg/mL exhibited a cytotoxic effect on the cells, showing that quercetin is more cytotoxic than rutin. Furthermore, neither compound was able to induce genotoxicity in the concentrations evaluated. On the other hand, both flavonoids reduced DNA damage induced by AFB1, MMS and DXR in all treatment protocols.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade De São Paulo, Av. do Café,s/n°, 14040-903, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo R M
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Barcelos
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grotto
authors.forename: José Pedro F
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Angeli
authors.forename: Juliana M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Serpeloni
authors.forename: Bruno A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Jairo K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbosa
mesh_terms: D016604:Aflatoxin B1 / Q000633:toxicity; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate / Q000633:toxicity; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012431:Rutin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012431:Rutin; D004317:Doxorubicin; D011794:Quercetin; D016604:Aflatoxin B1; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate
keywords: cytotoxicity; genotoxicity; protective effects; quercetin; rutin