Licoflavone C attenuates the genotoxicity of cancer drugs in human peripheral lymphocytes

Abstract

Flavonoids exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities that can lead to beneficial effects for human health. The search for cytotoxic, genotoxic and/or antimutagenic natural compounds is therefore of great relevance, especially in cancer chemotherapy. In view of this, we screened the potential genotoxicity/antigenotoxicty of licoflavone C (LFLC) - a naturally occurring prenyl-flavone extracted from Genista ephedroides - using the micronucleus (MN) assay on stimulated and cytochalasin B-blocked human lymphocytes. LFLC did not increase the spontaneous MN level up to 600 microM final concentration where a strong toxicity was seen to occur. We therefore performed an antigenotoxicity assay against the two mutagenic anticancer drugs, mitomycin C (MMC) and daunorubicin (DAU), using two non-toxic LFLC concentrations (0.1 microM and 1.0 microM). The MN frequencies induced by 0.025 microg/ml or 0.05 microg/ml DAU were significantly lowered by 45.4% or 46.6% and 41.8% or 44.8% at LFLC 0.1 and 1.0 microM, respectively. After treatment with 0.085 microg/ml or 0.17 microg/ml MMC, we detected a reduction in genotoxicity of 35.1% or 37.0% and of 38.0% or 35.8% at LFLC 0.1 and 1.0 microM, respectively. In conclusion, LFLC was proven to be protective toward the chromosome damage induced by DAU or MMC in cultured human peripheral lymphocytes.

Antigenotoxic effect of lipoic acid against mitomycin-C in human lymphocyte cultures

“…Mitomycin C (MMC) is one of these agents and known as an important antitumor drug and antibiotic. It has an extraordinary ability to crosslink the DNA with high efficiency (Szybalski and Iyer 1964;Tomasz 1995;Scarpato et al 2008;Deans and West 2011). MMC is a bifunctional alkylating agent and causes genotoxic damage by producing hydroxyl radicals (Crooke and Bradner 1976;Krishna et al 1986;Tomasz 1995;Bounias et al 1997;Turkez et al 2012).…”

Isoflavonoids

“…Isoflavonoids are reported to have a variety of bioprotective effects, including antioxidant, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic and antiproliferative activities. Isoflavonoids may protect the body from hormone-related cancers, like breast, endometrial (uterine) and prostatic [115][116][117][118][119]. Isoflavonoids have gained a lot of public interest due to the possible correlation between their dietary consumption and health beneficial effects toward osteoporosis and post-menopausal symptoms [120,121].…”

Antiestrogenic and antigenotoxic activity of bee pollen from Cystus incanus and Salix alba as evaluated by the yeast estrogen screen and the micronucleus assay in human lymphocytes

“…As described in details elsewhere [62], lymphocytes were harvested at the end of cell culturing by 4 min centrifugation at 2400 rpm, treated with 10 ml of 0.075 mM KC1 for a few min to lyse erythrocytes, prefixed in methanol/acetic acid 3:5, fixed in 100% methanol, washed twice in methanol/acetic acid 5:1, and dropped onto clean glass slides. The air-dried slides were then stained in 5% Giemsa.…”