Investigation of potential genotoxic and antigenotoxic properties of phloridzin in vitro

Natural compounds have been under focus for their protective effects against various diseases. Since they have few or no side effects, they have been recognized as an alternative for cancer treatments. One of these natural compounds is Phloridzin (Phl), which has been under investigation for its anti-genotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. However, there is scarce information on its anti-cancer and anti-genotoxic effects on human lymphocyte cells. In this study, anti-genotoxic effects of Phl have been investigated on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, taken from 4 healthy donors. To demonstrate that Phl is a potential anti-genotoxic agent, three in vitro tests are performed: Chromosome aberration, Micronucleus and Comet tests. The isolated lymphocytes were incubated with nine different concentrations. There were used 250 µg/ml doses of Phloridzin and 0,25 µg/ml doses of Mitomycin C (MMC). It was evaluated and confirmed, that Phl inhibited genotoxicity. Before treatment with MMC, the frequencies of aberrations in lymphocytes were similar to those control doses. MMC alone was shown to significantly increase the rate of chromosome aberrations, micronucleated cells and damaged DNA. Besides, in combinated doses (Phl+MMC), the frequencies of DNA damages decreased by returning to lower values because of exposure of MMC to Phl. However, at combined doses, Phloridzin was not able to significantly reduce the rate of Mitomycin C-induced damage, particularly in MMC+250 µg/ml Phl. Combined, they showed a synergetic effect. As a conclusion, the reults indicated that Phl exhibited an anti-genotoxic effect against MMC in tested concentrations in vitro on human lymphocytes.