Cent Eur J Public Health 2009, 17(2):86-92 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3526

Antimutagenic Effect of Phenethyl Isothiocyanate

Petr Šmerák¹, Zdeňka Polívková¹, Rudolf Štětina², Jiřina Bártová³, Ivo Bárta^†

¹ Charles University in Prague, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Biology and Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic

² Faculty of Military Medical Health Sciences, Department of Toxicology, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

³ Charles University in Prague, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Hygiene, Prague, Czech Republic

Using the Ames bacterial mutagenicity test, the comet assay, and an in vivo micronucleus test, we investigated the effect of the chemoprotective substance phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) on the mutagenic activity of indirect-acting mutagens and carcinogens aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), and direct-acting mutagen and carcinogen N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU).
In the Ames test, the antimutagenic activity of PEITC was studied in the concentration range 0.3-300 μg/plate. PEITC at concentrations of 0.3, 3 and 30 μg/plate reduced dose-dependently mutagenicity of AFB1 and IQ in both S.typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains. In the case of the direct mutagen MNU, the antimutagenic effect of PEITC was detected only at concentration of 30 μg/plate in the strain TA100. The PEITC concentration 300 μg/plate was toxic in the Ames test. The 24 h pre-treatment of HepG2 cells with PEITC at concentration 0.15 μg/ml resulted in a significant decrease of DNA breaks induced by MNU at concentrations 0.25 and 0.5 mM. Although a trend towards reduced strand break level were determined also at PEITC concentrations 0.035 and 0.07 μg/ml it did not reach the statistical significance. No effect, however, of PEITC on IQ-induced DNA breaks was observed. Chemopreventive effect of PEITC was revealed also in vivo. Pretreatment of mice with PEITC concentrations of 25 and 12.5 mg/kg b.w. administered to mice in three daily doses resulted in reduction of micronucleus formation in mice exposed to all three mutagens under study, with statistically significant effect at concentration of 25 mg/kg.
Results of this study indicate that the strong PEITC antimutagenic properties may have an important role in the prevention of carcinogenesis and other chronic degenerative diseases that share some common pathogenetic mechanisms.

Keywords: phenethyl isothiocyanate, aflatoxin B1, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo [4,5-]quinoline, N-nitroso-N-methylurea, Ames test, micronucleus test, comet assay

Received: October 27, 2008; Revised: December 12, 2008; Accepted: December 12, 2008; Published: June 1, 2009  Show citation