Protective effect of ellagic acid (EA) on micronucleus formation induced by N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in mammalian cells, in in vitro assays and in vivo

The beneficial effects of fruits and vegetables with respect to age-related diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and several types of cancer are widely recognized and confirmed by several epidemiological studies. A possible approach for evaluating the protective potential of promising diet constituents is to evaluate their beneficial effect with respect to a set of biomarkers that are indicative of a potential risk for developing degenerative diseases. Among the numerous biomarkers of the effect of food-related carcinogens and for the assessment of the degree of risk for disease, chromosomal damage detection is very predictive. The aim of this study was to test antigenotoxic effect of ellagic acid (EA) both in in vitro and in vivo studies, in combination with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), a methylating agent. EA, a naturally occurring and widely distributed plant phenol, has been intensively studied but with conflicting results, depending on the endpoints considered and the experimental material employed. In vitro and in vivo studies differ in their experimental schedule: in the in vitro study pre- and post-treatments and simultaneous treatments with EA were performed, while in the in vivo study only pre-treatment was carried out. The results of this study clearly demonstrate a protective action of EA with respect to MNNG-induced micronuclei and cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. The lack of effect in the post-treatment in in vitro experiments excludes a possible effect of EA on DNA-repair systems. On the other hand, consumption of EA can have a protective action against primary DNA damage induced by oxidative stress. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.