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Anthocyanins are the largest group of water-soluble pigments in the plant kingdom. A number of studies have demonstrated that anthocyanins present antioxidant capacity and show inhibitory effects on the growth of some cancer cells. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate both the antimutagenicity/antigenotoxicity and mutagenicity/genotoxicity of aqueous extract obtained from the Solanum melanogena, a possible novel source of anthocyanin, and its main purified anthocyanin extract (delphinidin), using the single cell (comet) assay and micronucleus test. Pretreatment with higher doses of the purified anthocyanin (10 and 20mg/kg b.w.) led to a statistically significant reduction (p<0.05) in the frequency of micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes induced by cyclophosphamide. The pattern of reduction ranged from 48% to 57% independent of concentration. No apparent genotoxicity and mutagenicity was found for either the anthocyanin or delphinidin extracts. Taken together, these results suggest that mice pre-treated with specific compounds present in anthocyanins (delphinidin) displayed a lower incidence of mutations induced by cyclophosphamide. This finding emphasizes the potential of natural colorants to prevent mutations and also the applicability of genotoxic evaluation for improving health. Furthermore, the results presented here could be an additional argument to support the use of anthocyanins in the diet.

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Diuron, a substituted urea herbicide, is carcinogenic to the urinary bladder of rats at high dietary levels. Its proposed carcinogenic mode of action (MOA) includes urothelial cytotoxicity and necrosis followed by regenerative cell proliferation and sustained urothelial hyperplasia. Cytotoxicity could be induced either by urinary solids or by chemical toxicity by diuron and/or metabolites excreted in the urine. Diuron was not genotoxic in a previous single-cell gel (comet) assay, but possible cross-linking activity remained to be evaluated. The present study explored the MOA of diuron and the effect of urinary acidification on the development of urothelial lesions. Male Wistar rats were fed diuron (2500 ppm, about 130 mg/kg of body weight) either with or without NH(4)Cl 10,000 ppm to acidify the urine. Reversibility of urothelial changes was also examined. The animals were euthanized after 15, 25, or 30 weeks. Diuron-fed rats had urinary amorphous precipitate and magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals similar to control animals. Groups treated with diuron + NH(4)Cl showed decreased urinary pH and reduced amounts of urinary crystals and precipitate. Urothelial necrosis and simple hyperplasia were observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy both in diuron- and in diuron + NH(4)Cl-treated groups. Cytotoxicity and proliferative changes were mostly reversible. A modified comet assay developed in vitro with Chinese hamster ovary cells showed that diuron did not induce DNA cross-links. These data suggest that cytotoxicity with consequent regenerative cell proliferation is the predominant MOA for diuron rat urothelial carcinogenesis, the cytotoxicity being chemically induced and not due to urinary solids.

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