• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-20
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• 2001

The alkaline comet assay, employing a single-cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE), is a rapid, simple and sensitive technique for visualizing and measuring DNA damage leading to strand breakage in individual mammalian cells. The protecting effect of pretreatment with vitamin C and cysteine on the DNA damage of gamma ray was investigated in mice splenic lymphocytes. Vitamin C and cysteine were administered orally for five consecutive days before irradiation. Four week old ICR male mice were irradiated wish 3.5Gy of γ-radiation and were sacrificed 3 days later. Spleens were taken for DNA damage examination by Comet assay and the tail moments of DNA single -strand breaks in tole splenic lymphocytes were evaluated. The results show that pretreatment with vitamin C and cysteine were effective in protecting against DNA damage by gamma ray. Administration of antioxidants like vitamin C and cysteine to mice before irradiation was effective in reducing the tail moment of splenic lymphocytes DNA.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.133-133
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• 2003

In recent years. attention has focused on the application of the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE or Comet) assay in environmental mutagenesis. To evaluate the suitability of the assay as a monitoring. technique, the DNA damages in liver cells and erythrocytes of carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to benzo[${\alpha}$]pyrene (B[${\alpha}$]P) were estimated comparatively with the in vivo Comet assay and the micronucleus test (MNT).(omitted)

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.212-217
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• 2010

Soil pollution by heavy metals has become a significant environmental concern due to a variety of human activities. Specially toxicity caused by excessive mercury exposure is now being recognized as a widespread environmental problem and is continuing to attract a great deal of public concerns. The earthworms are very important animals that aerate the soil with their burrowing action and enrich the soil by decomposing organic matters. Especially the earthworm Eisenia fetida is routinely used in ecotoxicological studies. The levels of DNA damage in earthworms treated with HgCl2 and ionizing radiation were investigated in this study. Genotoxic effects were evaluated in the earthworm's coelomocytes using the comet assay (Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis; SCGE). The results showed that the mercury chloride and radiation were responsible for the genotoxic effects on earthworms. The level of DNA damage significantly increased after the treatment of mercury chloride combined with ionizing radiation. The combined treatment of $HgCl_2$ and ionizing radiation had a greater genotoxicity. This study is amenable to further study such as enzyme activation assay.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.591-607
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• 2013

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the aquatic environment of an urban stream using various ecological parameters of biological biomarkers, physical habitat quality and chemical water quality and to develop a "Multimetric Eco-Model" ($M_m$-E Model) for the ecosystem evaluations. For the applications of the $M_m$-E model, three zones including the control zone ($C_Z$) of headwaters, transition zone ($T_Z$) of mid-stream and the impacted zone ($I_Z$) of downstream were designated and analyzed the seasonal variations of the model values. The biomarkers of DNA, based on the comet assay approach of single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), were analyzed using the blood samples of Zacco platypus as a target species, and the parameters were used tail moment, tail DNA(%) and tail length (${\mu}m$) in the bioassay. The damages of DNA were evident in the impacted zone, but not in the control zone. The condition factor ($C_F$) as key indicators of the population evaluation indicator was analyzed along with the weight-length relation and individual abnormality. The four metrics of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) were added for the evaluations of physical habitat. In addition, the parameters of chemical water quality were used as eutrophic indicators of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity. Overall, our results suggested that attributes of biomarkers and bioindicators in the impacted zone ($I_Z$) had sensitive response largely to the chemical stress (eutrophic indicators) and also partially to physical habitat quality, compared to the those in the control zone.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.139-144
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• 2003

Ganoderma lucidum is commonly known as medically potent mushroom, which has been widely used in China and other oriental countries for the treatment of various diseases, including cancer. In this report, we investigated the anti-oxidant and protective effect of Ganodema lucidum extract (GLE) against the DNA damage induced by free radical and U.V. In the assay of cell growth inhibition, the inhibitory cell growth rate induced by hydroxyl radical was dose-dependently decreased by GLE. This results support that GLE has a detoxifying activity against cytotoxicity of hydroxyl radical in E. coli cell. GLE also protected ColE1 plasmid DNA damage in the concentration of 200$\mu\textrm{g}$ per reaction on the DNA fragmentation assay. The nuclear tailing by hydrogen peroxide in single cell gel electrophoresis(SCGE) was decreased by GLE in the concentration of 50$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. These data indicate that Ganoderma lucidum has an anti-oxidative activity to hydrogen peroxide. The mutation rate after irradiation of U.V. was reduced by 50$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml GLE and total number of Rif (Rifampicin) resistant mutants was decreased in a concentration dependent manner when added the GLE exogenously in a culture media. According to the results, it is likely that GLE has not only an anti-oxidative activity to hydroxyl radical but also an anti-mutagenic activity to U.V. mutagenesis.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2011

The comet assay, also called single-cell electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, is a potential sensitive monitoring tool for DNA damage in cells. The primary objective of this study was to use comet assay to ascertain if the blood cells of flounder (Pleuronichthys olivaceus) and muscle cells of clam (Saxidomus purpurata) are suitable for genotoxicity screening. This was achieved by initially exposing blood and muscle cells under in vitro conditions to the reference genotoxin hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$); strong correlation between $H_2O_2$ concentration and comet values were found. Subsequently, the identification of DNA damage in isolated cells from flounder and clam was performed under in vivo exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and tributyltin (TBT). Flounder and clam were exposed to different concentrations (1, 10, 50, 100 ${\mu}g/L$) of BaP or TBT for 4 days. Regardless of treated chemicals, blood cells of flounder were more prone to DNA breakage compared to muscle cells of clam. In conclusion, in vivo genotoxicity of BaP and TBT can be biomonitored using the comet assay. This study suggests that flounder and clam do show potential as mediums for monitoring genotoxic damage by comet assay.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Postharvest Science and Technology of Agricultural Products Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.103.1-103
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• 2003

건조 생약재의 위생화 수단으로 방사선 조사 기술의 적용 가능성을 검토하기 위하여 감마선 조사 생약의 효능 변화유무를 평가하고자 하였다. 본 연구에서는 감마선 조사 시료와 비조사 시료가 생체의 산화적 손상을 억제하는 효과를 비교하기 위하여 방사선에 의한 산화적 손상에 대한 효과를 측정하였다. 감마선 조사(10 kGy) 생약재(H-113) 및 비조사 생약재(H-113) 추출물을 처리하여 배양한 사람 림프구에 방사선을 조사한 후, 단세포전기영동(single-cell gel electrophoresis, SCGE; comet assay)을 수행하여 DNA 상해 경감정도를 관찰하였다. 또한 방사선 조사 및 비조사 생약재(H-113) 추출물을 투여한 생쥐에 8 Gy의 감마선을 조사한 후, 간에서 지질과산화 정도를 비교·관찰하였다. 한편 DPPH 라디칼과 hydroxyl 라디칼 소거효과를 시험관내에서 상호 비교하였다. 감마선 조사 생약재(H-113)는 단세포전기영동, 지질과산화, DPPH 및 hydroxyl 라디칼 소거시험에서 비조사 생약재 (H-113)와 유사한 효과를 나타내어 효능 차이가 인정되지 않았다. 이는 생약재의 여러 가지 고유 효능 중 일부의 안정성을 확인한 것으로 생각되며, 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 감마선 조사 생약재의 고유 효능의 안정성에 관한 체계적인 연구결과를 얻는다면 생약재의 위생화 수단으로 감마선 조사 기술의 이용이 실용화될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo effect of galangin and the 70% ethanolic extract of Alpinia officinarum (AO) toward $KBrO_3$-induced DNA and chromosomal damage in mice. Galangin and AO inhibited the formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH2'dG) as an indicator of DNA oxidative damage in the liver cell. Galangin and AO showed the inhibitory effect on the formation of DNA single strand break in the splenocyte by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and also inhibited micronucleated reticulocyte (MNRET) formation of peripheral blood in tail blood of mice. Vit-E revealed antigenotoxic effects in DNA and chromosome levels, but galangin was more potent active compound compare to vit-E under our experimental conditions. The results suggest that the extract of Alpinia officinarum containing galangin can modify the oxidative DNA and chromosomal damage and may act as chemopreventive agent against oxidative stress in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.466-471
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• 2008

Little is known about DNA-level and physiological levels for health assessments of stream or river environments. Recently, comet assay, so called Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SCGE) is introduced for assessments of DNA damage in the medical science, food science and mammal toxicology. The comet assay is known as a biomarker which is one of the best barometers in assessing the DNA damage by oxidative stress. In this study, we conducted the comet assay using sentinel species, Zacco platypus, as one of the pre-warning alarm systems for the aquatic ecosystem health assessments and also applied it to Gap Stream as a model system. Tail extent moments in the S1 and S2 were 5.20 and 9.90 respectively and the moment was 19.89 in the S3. Statistical ANOVA in the tail moments showed a significant difference (n=75, p<0.05) between S1 and S3. Also, the proportions of DNA in the tail were 14.47, 23.64, and $30.04{\mu}m$ in the upstream (control site), midstream, downstream sites, respectively. Our results in the downstream were accord with previous studies of individual-level, population-level, and community-level in Gap Stream. Our results suggest that the comet assay may be used as an important tool for diagnosing ecological health of aquatic ecosystems in the level of DNA.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2003

The present study was attempted to investigate the antioxidant capacity of popular yellow-green vegetable juices (kale, Angelica keishei, carrot, small water dropwort) and to investigate the effect of vegetable juices on protecting oxidative damage to DNA in cultured Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells. Antioxidant capacity was analyzed by TRAP assay (Total radical-trapping antioxidant potential). Cellular DNA dmamage was measured by SCGE (single-cell gel electrophoresis, also known as comet assay. Cells incubated in medium with PBS (negative control) or with various concentration of the freeze dried green juices (25, 50, 100, 250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$) resuspended in PBS were treated with $H_2O_2$ (200 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) as an oxidative stimulus for 5 min at 4$^{\circ}C$. The physiological function of each vegetable juice on oxidative DNA damage was analyzed and expressed as tail moment (tail length X percentage migrated DNA in tail) . Kale juice had the highest TRAP value suggesting that kale has the highest antioxidant capacity followed by Angelica keishei, small water dropwort and carrot. Cells treated with $H_2O_2$ had extensive DNA damage compared with cells treated with PBS or pre-treated with vegetable juice extracts. All green juices inhibited $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage with kale being the most effective juice among the tested juices. These results indicate that green juice supplementation to CHL cells followed by oxidative stimulus inhibited damage to cellular DNA, supporting a protective effect against oxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species. (Korean J Nutrition 36(1) : 24-31, 2003)