The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the Ankaferd Blood Stopper® (ABS), on cell viability, cytotoxicity, and erythrocyte numbers in in vitro cultured human blood cells. We studied the cytotoxic effects of the ABS using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, cell proliferation (WST-1) assay and hemolytic assay. The cytotoxicity increased when cells were treated with ABS dilutions of 5%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% (p < 0.05). Moreover, treatment of the cells with the same concentrations significantly elevated the cell number at 24 and 48 h (p < 0.05). ABS causes a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the hemolytic activity on human erythrocytes and hemolytic activity increases with increase in ABS concentrations. The red blood cell aggregation and cell membrane disruption during the coagulation process lead to induction of hemolytic activity and increase of LDH level in cell culture medium. In addition, ABS has proliferative effects on human leukocytes. Based on these results, ABS can be used as an alternative blood stopping agent safely.

Naphthalene, a bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, has toxic effects on animals and humans. Although recent studies stressed on the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of naphthalene and its metabolites on eukaryotic cells, there is a big controversy among the results of these studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of naphthalene and its metabolites on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in the human lymphocytes in the culture. The genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of naphthalene and its metabolites, 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol, were studied using cytotoxicity test (lactate dehydrogenase and cell proliferation (WST-1) assays) and DNA fragmentation assay (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay). Naphthalene and its metabolites had no significant cytotoxic effect on treated samples when compared with untreated ones. This result was also confirmed by WST-1 assay. In the TUNEL assay, DNA fragmentation was induced significantly by all concentrations of naphthalene and 2-naphthol and 50 and 100 mM concentrations of 1-naphthol (p < 0.05 or 0.001). In the DNA fragmentation, the most effective dose of 2-naphthol (63%) was 100 mM, when compared with negative control group (13%). These results suggest that naphthalene and its metabolites, 1naphthol and 2-naphthol, may cause DNA damage on human lymphocytes.

Benzaldehyde (BA) occurs naturally in a number of plants, including cherry, fig and peach fruit and carnation flowers at therapeutic doses. In addition, it is used in cosmetics, personal care products and food as a preservative. In this study, we aimed to determine the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of different concentrations of BA on cultured human lymphocytes using lactate dehydrogenase assay, cell proliferation (water-soluble tetrazolium salts-1) assay and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) test (apoptotic test) as a group of cytotoxicity tests at 6th and 24th h on human lymphocyte cell culture. The cytotoxicity increased when cells were treated with 10, 25 and 50 μg/mL concentrations of BA (p < 0.05). Moreover, treatment of the cells with the same concentrations significantly decreased the cell number at the 6th and 24th hours (p < 0.05). TUNEL assay results also show that the concentration of BA at 10, 25 and 50 μg/mL caused DNA damage significantly (p < 0.05). According to our results, the toxic and genotoxic effects of BA have to be further evaluated before using in cosmetic and food products.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the storax balsam, which is a kind of sweet gum obtained from the Liquidambar orientalis Mill trees, on cell viability, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human lymphocyte in vitro. We studied the genotoxic effects of the extract of storax balsam (SE) using sister chromatid exchange (SCE) test system. Also the cytotoxic and inhibitory effects on cell proliferation of SE were evaluated using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and cell proliferation (WST-1) assay. The SCE frequency was increased when the cells were treated with 1.6 and 4.0 µg/mL SE concentrations (p < 0.05). Moreover, treatment of the cells with the same concentrations significantly depleted the cell number at 24th and 48th hours and elevated the LDH levels (p < 0.05) at 48th hour. These results suggest that SE can be used as an alternative antibacterial and antipathogenic agent due to its cytotoxic and genotoxic effects.

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