Geno- and cytotoxicity of propyl gallate food additive

Synthetic phenolic food additives, such as propyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (propyl galate; PG), have been used as an antioxidant in the food industry to prevent oils from spoiling. Their toxicity is one of the challengeable issues resulting from the widespread usage of them in food-related industrials. In this study, we investigated the anticell proliferation effects of PG on A549 lung cancer cells. The result showed that PG dose and time dependently decreased the growth of A549 cells with an half-maximal inhibitory concentration of approximately 1 x 10(-3) and 5 x 10(-4) M of PG at 48 and 72 hours, respectively. In addition, DNA strand breaks have been observed through the comet assay technique. Also, morphology of 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained cells showed an obvious fragmentation in the chromatin and DNA rings within the nucleus of PG-treated cells, and, finally, flow cytometry analyses of the cells confirmed DAPI staining assay and determined early and late apoptosis in treated cells.