title: Guaiazulene biochemical activity and cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on rat neuron and N2a neuroblastom cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neuroblastoma (NB)cells are often used in cancer researches such as glioblastoma cells since they have the potential of high mitotic activity, nuclear pleomorphism, and tumor necrosis. Guaiazulene (GYZ 1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene)is present in several essential oils of medicinal and aromatic plants. Many studies have reported the cytotoxic effect of GYZ; however, there are no studies that compare such effects between cancer cell lines and normal human cells after treatment with GYZ.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we aimed to describe in vitro antiproliferative and/or cytotoxic properties (by 3-[4,5 dimetylthiazol -2-yl]-2,5 diphenlytetrazolium bromide [MTT] test), oxidative effects (by total antioxidant capacity [TAC] and total oxidative stress [TOS] analysis)and genotoxic damage potentials (by single cell gel electrophoresis)of GYZ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that GYZ have anti-proliferative activity suppressing the proliferation of neuron and N2a-NB cells at high doses. In addition, GYZ treatments at higher doses led to decreases of TAC levels and increases of TOS levels in neuron and N2a-NB cells. On the other hand, the mean values of the total scores of cells showing DNA damage were not found different from the control values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this study, it is observed that GYZ has in vitro cytotoxic activity against neuron and N2a-NB cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Basak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Togar
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turkez
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hacimuftuoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdulgani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tatar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatime
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Geyikoglu
keywords: 3-(4,5 dimetylthiazol -2-yl)-2,5 diphenlytetrazolium bromide assay; Cytotoxicity; genotoxicity; guaiazulene; neuroblastoma; single cell gel electrophoresis assay