Genotoxic and antigenotoxic activities of Thai bee pollen and its extracts in human lymphocytes by in vitro sister chromatid exchange assay

Abstract

Bee pollen has been used as a food supplement and as a traditional medicine for thousands of years. Our study demonstrated that by in vitro sister chromatid exchange assay, Mimosa pudica crude bee pollen extract (0.005-5.0 ìg/mL CE) from Chiangmai, Northern Thailand, increased genotoxicity in human lymphocytes at concentrations of 0.005 and 0.5 ìg/mL by 20% and 24% respectively, compared to the RPMI control. Its defatted extract (DE) at 0.005-5.0 ìg/mL increased the activities by 24-32% whereas the lipid extract (LE) at 0.00125 ìg/mL but not at 0.0125-1.25 ìg/mL increased the activities by 25%. Only CE at 5.0 ìg/mL induced cytotoxicity. Pretreatments of CE, DE, and LE at 0.5, 5, and 0.00125 ìg/mL induced antigenotoxicities against doxorubicin, a potent genotoxic chemotherapeutic agent by 24%, 28%, and 16%, respectively. Their protective mechanisms are feasibly involved with á-tocopherol and phenolic contents such as gallic acid and ferulic acid.