title: Protective Effect of Onion Extract on Bleomycin-Induced Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity in Human Lymphocytes.
abstract: Following one of the world's largest nuclear accidents, occured at Fukushima, Japan in 2011, a significant scientific effort has focused on minimizing the potential adverse health effects due to radiation exposure. The use of natural dietary antioxidants to reduce the risk of radiation-induced oxidative DNA damage is a simple strategy for minimizing radiation-related cancer rates and improving overall health. The onion is among the richest sources of dietary flavonoids and is an important food for increasing their overall intake. Therefore, we examined the effect of an onion extract on cyto- and geno-toxicity in human lymphocytes treated with bleomycin (BLM), a radiomimetic agent. In addition, we measured the frequency of micronuclei (MN) and DNA damage following treatment with BLM using a cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay and a single cell gel electrophoresis assay. We observed a significant increase in cell viability in lymphocytes treated with onion extract then exposed to BLM compared to cells treated with BLM alone. The frequency of BLM induced MN and DNA damage increased in a dose-dependent manner; however, when lymphocytes were pretreated with onion extract (10 and 20 μL/mL), the frequency of BLM-induced MN was decreased at all doses of BLM and DNA damage was decreased at 3 μg/mL of BLM. These results suggest that onion extract may have protective effects against BLM-induced cyto- and genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. yoonhee.cho@umontana.edu.|Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. yoonhee.cho@umontana.edu.
authors.forename: Yoon Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. lasthitter@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Joong Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Molecular Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Ilsandong-gu, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, Korea. eastsea93@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Hae Dong
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. ssun1987@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sunyeong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Da Vinci College of General Education, Chung-Ang University, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 156-756, Korea. yangjee4@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Yang Jee
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. ychi@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Younghyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. ssa8320@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sangah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. hjjoung@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyojee
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Joung
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. chunghw@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hai Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000633:toxicity*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D019697:Onions / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D001761:Bleomycin
keywords: bleomycin; cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay; onion extract; radiation; single cell gel electrophoresis assay