Effect of diallyl sulfide and diallyl disulfide, the active principles of garlic, on the aflatoxin B 1-induced DNA damage in primary rat hepatocytes

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the active principles in garlic — diallyl sulfide (DAS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS) — on aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1)-induced DNA damage in primary rat hepatocytes. Primary rat hepatocytes, induced with DNA damage using 10 μM AFB 1 were used as an experimental model. According to the results of LDH leakage, 0.5 and 2 mM of DAS or 0.5 and 1 mM of DADS significantly increased the viability of hepatocytes compared with the AFB 1 controls after 4, 8 and 24 h treatment ( P<0.05). According to the results of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) test, 0.5 and 2 mM of DAS or 0.5 and 1 mM of DADS could significantly decrease the DNA damage induced by AFB 1 ( P<0.05). Furthermore, 0.5 and 2 mM DAS or 0.5 and 1 mM DADS could increase the glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities as compared with the AFB 1 controls after 24 h treatment ( P<0.05). Results of immunoblot analysis of cytosolic GST isoenzyme indicate that the levels of GST isoform Ya, Yb2 and Yc were markly increased after treatment with 0.5 and 2 mM DAS or 0.5 and 1 mM DADS compared with the AFB 1 control. These results indicate that 0.5 and 2 mM DAS or 0.5 and 1 mM DADS might protect hepatocytes from AFB 1-induced DNA damage via increasing the activities of GST and GPx.