Abstract

AMELIORATIVE ROLE OF QUERCETIN AND/OR RESVERATROL ON ACROLEIN-INDUCED CLASTOGENESIS IN BONE MARROW CELLS OF MALE ALBINO MICE MUS MUSCULUS

Nagla Zaky Ibrahim El-Alfy, Mahmoud Fathy Mahmoudand and Sally Ramadan Gabr El-Ashry*

ABSTRACT

Acrolein, a highly reactive unsaturated aldehyde, is considered as a mutagenic environmental pollutant which can cause oxidative stress by generation of reactive oxygen species. The aim of the present study is to investigate the cytoprotective role of oral pretreatment with quercetin (50 mg/ kg body weight) alone, resveratrol (12.5 mg/ kg body weight) alone and the mixture of both quercetin/ resveratrol against the clastogenesis of acrolein (10 mg/ kg body weight) in bone marrow cells of male albino mice Mus musculus by using chromosomal aberration assay, mitotic index and micronucleus test as toxicological endpoints. In this study, quercetin and/ or resveratrol were given to mice for eight days (four days prior to acrolein treatment followed by other four days along with acrolein treatment). The results revealed that oral administration of acrolein to mice for four consecutive days significantly (P < 0.001) increased the incidence of aberrant metaphases, structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei formation and cytotoxicity in bone marrow cells in comparison with the control group. Also, pretreatment of mice with quercetin and/ or resveratrol significantly (P < 0.001) reduced acrolein-induced clastogenesis and cytotoxicity in the bone marrow cells. No considerable difference was observed between the cytoprotective effects of quercetin alone, resveratrol alone and also the mixture of both quercetin/ resveratrol against acrolein-induced clastogenesis and cytotoxicity. However, oral pretreatment of quercetin alone showed the best protective effect against acrolein-toxicity. Therefore, natural foods rich in plant polyphenols, particularly quercetin and resveratrol, should be included in the human daily diet to protect them against the deleterious effects of clastogenic agents like acrolein.

Keywords: Clastogenesis, Bone marrow cell, Chromosomal aberration, Mitotic index, Micronucleus test, Mice.