Abstract
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a large group of polyhydroxy steroids, which regulate numerous aspects of plant growth and development, including stem elongation, leaf bending, tracheary element differentiation, stress protection and photomorphogenesis. Recent studies indicate antigenotoxic and anticancerous activities of these compounds. The role of natural BRs in H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) -induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes is still unknown. The present study reports the presence of Castasterone from leaves of Centella asiatica, an important medicinal herb commonly used as a memory enhancer and immunomodulator. CA50 fraction isolated from Centella asiatica was characterized as Castasterone by electrospray ionization mass spectral data with standard Castasterone. An attempt has been made to study antigenotoxic activity of the isolated Castasterone against H2O2 -induced DNA damage in human blood lymphocytes using Single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet Assay). Castasterone at 10–9 M concentration proved to be effective in diminishing the DNA damage by 89.42 %.
Highlights
In living system, oxidative stress results in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide radical (O2-), hydroxyl radical (HO–) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
The present study was planned to study the presence of BRs and inhibition of H2O2-induced DNA damage by Castasterone isolated from Centella asiatica which is the first report in this direction
DNA damage was determined by alkaline single cell microgel electrophoresis assay following the method proposed by [18] with minor modifications as suggested by [19]
Summary
Oxidative stress results in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide radical (O2-), hydroxyl radical (HO–) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 in Fenton reaction is spontaneously converted to the highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (HO –) These hydroxyl radicals oxidize proteins, lipids and nucleic acids leading to even mutations at the cellular level [1]. Brassinosteroids are a group of naturally occurring plant hormones, which are structurally similar to animal steroid hormones. They influence diverse physiological processes by regulating the expression of genes like their animal counterparts [5]. Chemical studies reveal that triterpene saponins Asiaticoside and Madecassoside are the main active constituents of Centella asiatica. The present study was planned to study the presence of BRs and inhibition of H2O2-induced DNA damage by Castasterone isolated from Centella asiatica which is the first report in this direction
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