Autor(es):
Silva, João P.
; Gomes, A. C.
; Coutinho, O. P.
Data: 2008
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/7999
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Descrição
The excessive intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause a
disturbance in the cells natural antioxidant defence systems, resulting in damage to all
biomolecules, including nucleic acids. In fact, oxidative DNA damage is sometimes
difficult to repair, being described as the type of damage most likely to occur in
neuronal cells. In this study, the protective effects of three polyphenolic compounds,
luteolin, quercetin and rosmarinic acid, against oxidative DNA damage induced in PC12
cells, a neuronal cell model, were investigated by the Comet assay. Although luteolin
and quercetin prevented the formation of strand breaks to a greater extent than
rosmarinic acid, this last one presented the highest capacity to repair strand breaks
formation. In addition, rosmarinic acid was the only compound tested that increased the
repair of oxidized nucleotidic bases induced with the photosensitizer compound Ro 19-
8022. The activity of repair enzymes was indicated by the in vitro base excision repair
assay, using a cell-free extract obtained from cells previously treated with the
compounds to incise DNA. The quantification of the expression of OGG1 and APE1
repair genes by real time RT-PCR indicated a regulation, at the level of OGG1, by
rosmarinic acid. The data obtained is indicative that the effect of rosmarinic acid seems
to be more specific for DNA repair mechanisms, rather than acting directly on ROS
scavenging, as it is the case for luteolin and quercetin. Therefore, these results suggest
the importance of these polyphenols, and in particular rosmarinic acid, as protecting
agents against oxidative stress-induced DNA damage that commonly occurs in
neurodegenerative diseases.