Toxicological Studies of Czech Beers and Their Constituents

Tania Merinas-Amo,Mercedes Del Río-Celestino,Ladislav Kokoska,Rafael Font,Ángeles Alonso-Moraga,Alejandro Velasco-Ruiz,Ladislav Chladek,Vladimir Plachy,Victoria García-Zorrilla,Rocío Merinas-Amo

doi:10.3390/foods8080328

Abstract

Background: Czech beers are unique because they are brewed using specific technology at a particular latitude and for being entirely produced in the area of the Czech Republic. The purpose of this work is the evaluation of toxicological effects of a variety of freeze-dried Czech beers, their raw materials (malts, hops and yeast) and processed-beer (wort, hopped wort and young beer). Methods: In vivo assays to evaluate the safety and protective effects in the Drosophila melanogaster eukaryotic system, and the in vitro evaluations of chemopreventive and DNA damage activity using the HL-60 tumour human cell line were carried out. Results: The safe effects for all the analysed substances and general protective effects against H2O2 were shown both at the individual and genomic level in the Drosophila animal model, with some exceptions. Moreover, all the substances were able to inhibit the tumour cell growth and to induce DNA damage in the HL-60 cells at different levels (proapoptotic, single/double strands breaks and methylation status). Conclusions: The promising effects shown by freeze-dried Czech beers due to their safety, protection against a toxin, chemopreventive potential and the induction of DNA damage in tumour cells, allow the proposition of Czech beer as a beverage with nutraceutic potential.

Highlights

Beer is one of the oldest known beverages
Suchdol Jenik is not a commercial brewery, it is built on the tradition of beer brewing in Prague’s Suchdol using the common raw materials farmed in the
The new data corpus of our study contributes and supports the benefits showed by this lyophilized beverage, due to its safety, protection against an oxidative toxin, chemopreventive potential and the induction of DNA damage in tumour cells

Summary

Introduction

Beer is one of the oldest known beverages. Approximately 6000 years ago, ancient texts revealed the first beer production by the Sumerians: “the sweetest grain, if baked, left out, moistened, forgotten, and eaten, would produce an uplifting, cheerful feeling” [1]. Beer is considered as a beverage, but it provides a valuable added value to the diet. It acts as a nutritional supplement with many bioactive molecules, as it contains readily available starches and sugars, various minerals and valuable B vitamins [2]. Methods: In vivo assays to evaluate the safety and protective effects in the Drosophila melanogaster eukaryotic system, and the in vitro evaluations of chemopreventive and DNA damage activity using the HL-60 tumour human cell line were carried out. Conclusions: The promising effects shown by freeze-dried Czech beers due to their safety, protection against a toxin, chemopreventive potential and the induction of DNA damage in tumour cells, allow the proposition of Czech beer as a beverage with nutraceutic potential

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