• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2009

Gardenia yellow, extracted from gardenia fruit, has been widely used as a coloring agent for foods, and thus, safety of its usage is of prime importance. In the current study, short-term genotoxicity assays were conducted to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of gardenia yellow. The gardenia yellow used was found to contain 0.057 mg/g of genipin, a known biologically active compound of the gardenia fruit extract. Ames test did not reveal any positive results. No clastogenicity was detected by a chromosomal aberration test, even on evaluation at the highest feasible concentration of gardenia yellow. Gardenia yellow was also shown to be non-genotoxic using an in vitro comet assay and a micronucleus test with L5178Y cells, although a marginal increase in DNA damage and micronuclei frequency was reported in the respective assays. Additionally, in vivo micronucleus test results clearly demonstrated that oral administration of gardenia yellow did not induce micronuclei formation in the bone marrow cells of male ICR mice. Taken together, our results indicate that gardenia yellow is not mutagenic to bacterial cells, and that it does not cause chromosomal damage in mammalian cells, either in vitro or in vivo.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.415-423
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• 2007

This study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of airborne particulate matters using single cell gell elec trophoresis (comet assay) in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. The total suspended particulate (TSP) was collected on back-up filter in Chuncheon, Kangwon Do, South Korea from April, 2003 to February, 2005. The concentrations of TSP, B(a)p and most of heavy metals seemed to be higher in spring and winter, and lower in summer. And they showed higher concentration in the commercial areas and the residential area having more traffics than in the rural area. It was found that A549 cells interacting with the organic extract of TSP showed more DNA single-strand breaks compare to untreated cells. The genotoxicity of the organic extract of TSP was increased with the pre-treatment of S-9 mixture during the culture or with the treatment of endonuclease after cell lysis. The DNA damage by the organic extract of TSP was higher in winter and the commercial area than in summer and the rural area. This study suggests that TSP, heavy metals and B(a)P analyzed showed significant variation depend on the seasons and the areas which are correlated with the DNA damage evaluated by Comet assay, indicating that genotoxic biomarker is useful for toxicological evaluation of air quality.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2009

Carrageenan is a naturally-occurring sulfated polygalactan which has been widely used in the dairy industry and a gelling agent in non-dairy products. In this study, four short-term in vitro genotoxicity assays were investigated to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of carrageenan. The mutagenicity of carrageenan was evaluated up to a maximum dose of 5 mg/plate in Ames test. There was no increase in the number of revertant colonies compared to its negative control at any dose in all of strains tested. To assess clastogenic effect, the in vitro chromosomal aberration assay was performed using Chinese hamster lung cells. Carrageenan was not considered to be clastogenic in this assay at up to the highest feasible concentration which could be evaluated. The in vitro comet assay and micronucleus test results obtained on L5178Y cells also revealed that carrageenan has no genotoxicity potential, although there was a marginal increase in micronuclei frequencies and DNA damage in the respective micronucleus and comet assays. Taken together, our results indicate that carrageenan was not genotoxic based on four in vitro genotoxicity results.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2014

Resveratrol has received considerable attention as a polyphenol with various biological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, and cardioprotective properties. As part of the overall safety assessment of HS-1793, a novel resveratrol analogue free from the restriction of metabolic instability and the high dose requirement of resveratrol, we assessed genotoxicity in three in vitro assays: a bacterial mutation assay, a comet assay, and a chromosomal aberration assay. In the bacterial reverse mutation assay, HS-1793 did not increase revertant colony numbers in S. typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, TA1535 and TA1537) or an E. coli strain (WP2 uvrA) regardless of metabolic activation. HS-1793 showed no evidence of genotoxic activity such as DNA damage on L5178Y $Tk^{+/-}$ mouse lymphoma cells with or without the S9 mix in the in vitro comet assay. No statistically significant differences in the incidence of chromosomal aberrations following HS-1793 treatment was observed on Chinese hamster lung cells exposed with or without the S9 mix. These results provide additional evidence that HS-1793 is non-genotoxic at the dose tested in three standard tests and further supports the generally recognized as safe determination of HS-1793 during early drug development.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 1987

Cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of monosodium glutamate (MSG) were evaluated in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. When exposed to liver cell culture continuously for 24 hr, MSG did not show any cytotoxic effects up to 0.5% (w/v) level as determined by Tryphan Blue exclusion and lactic dehydrogenase release test. MSG also did not induce unscheduled DNA synthesis or DNA single-strand breaks in hepatocyte cultures up to 1% level. No synergistic effects of MSG were observed on aflatoxin B$_1$-induced DNA damage when 1% MSG was treated to liver cell culture along with aflatoxin B$_1$.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.549-560
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• 2020

Although DNA damage responses (DDRs) are reported to be involved in nitric oxide (NO) production in response to genotoxic stresses, the precise mechanism of DDR-mediated NO production has not been fully understood. Using a genotoxic agent aphidicolin, we investigated how DDRs regulate NO production in bovine aortic endothelial cells. Prolonged (over 24 h) treatment with aphidicolin increased NO production and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) protein expression, which was accompanied by increased eNOS dimer/monomer ratio, tetrahydrobiopterin levels, and eNOS mRNA expression. A promoter assay using 5'-serially deleted eNOS promoters revealed that Tax-responsive element site, located at -962 to -873 of the eNOS promoter, was responsible for aphidicolin-stimulated eNOS gene expression. Aphidicolin increased CREB activity and ectopic expression of dominant-negative inhibitor of CREB, A-CREB, repressed the stimulatory effects of aphidicolin on eNOS gene expression and its promoter activity. Co-treatment with LY294002 decreased the aphidicolin-stimulated increase in p-CREB-Ser¹³³ level, eNOS expression, and NO production. Furthermore, ectopic expression of dominant-negative Akt construct attenuated aphidicolin-stimulated NO production. Aphidicolin increased p-ATM-Ser¹⁹⁸¹ and the knockdown of ATM using siRNA attenuated all stimulatory effects of aphidicolin on p-Akt-Ser⁴⁷³, p-CREB-Ser¹³³, eNOS expression, and NO production. Additionally, these stimulatory effects of aphidicolin were similarly observed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Lastly, aphidicolin increased acetylcholine-induced vessel relaxation in rat aortas, which was accompanied by increased p-ATM-Ser¹⁹⁸¹, p-Akt-Ser⁴⁷³, p-CREB-Ser¹³³, and eNOS expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that in response to aphidicolin, activation of ATM/Akt/CREB/eNOS signaling cascade mediates increase of NO production and vessel relaxation in endothelial cells and rat aortas.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.13 no.1_2
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• pp.55-60
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• 1997

Gamma irradiation was applied to Angelicae gigantis radix and Aloe to improve their hygienic quality. The effective dose of irradiation was 7 kGy in Angelicae gigantis radlx and 5 kGy in Aloe for the sterilization of all contaminated microorganisms tested. After 8 months of storage at room temperature, no growth of microorganisms was observed in the irradiated products. The safety of these products were evaluated by Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay and in vivo micronucleus assay using mouse bone marrow cells. They were negative in the bacterial reversion assay with S. typhimurium TA 98, TA100, TA1535 and TA1537. In the in vivo mouse micronucleus assay, they did not show any clastogenic effect at all doses tested. These results indicate that the gamma irradiation of Angelicae gigantis radix at 12 kGy and of Aloe at 10 kGy have no genotoxic effects under these experimental conditions.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.193-198
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• 2001

Gamma irradiation at 20 kGy was apploed to salted and fermented shrimps to evaluate its possible genotoxicity. The genotoxicity of irradiated salted and fermented shrimps was evaluated by Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay, chromosomal aberration test and in vivo micronucleus assay. The results were negative in the bacterial reversion assay with S. typhimurium TA98, TA100. No mutagenicity was detected in the assay both with and without metabolic activation. In chromosomal aberration tests with CHL cells and in vivo mouse micronucleus assay, no significant difference in the incidences of chromosomal aberration and micronuclei was observed between nonirradiated and 20 kGy-irradiated salted and fermented shrimps. These results indicate that salted and fermented shrimps irradiated at 20 kGy did not show any genotoxic effects under these experimental conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.817-820
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• 2006

The potential genotoxicity of methylsulfonylmethane, a crystalline organic sulfur, derived from chemically modified lignin from plants was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays. In the bacterial reverse mutation test using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1538, methylsulfonylmethane did not induce any significant increase of His' revertants. In the in vitro chromosome aberration test using Chinese Hamster Lung (CHL) cells, no aberration effects were seen. In the in vivo evaluation using a micronucleus test, negative results were obtained. Accordingly, the results indicated that methylsulfonylmethane is not genotoxic and its use is unlikely to present a potential hazard.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.1092-1098
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• 1999

Gamma irradiation was applied to pork for improving its hygienic quality and evaluating its possible genotoxicity. The effective dose of irradiation was 3 kGy in pork for the sterilization of all contaminated microorganisms tested. After 8 weeks of storage at 5oC, no growth of microorganisms except for psychrophile and total aerobic bacteria was observed in the more than 3 kGy irradiated pork. The genotoxicity of high dose irradiated pork(30 kGy) was evaluated by Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay, chromosomal aberration test and in vivo micronucleus assay. The results were negative in the bacterial reversion assay with S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537. In chromosomal aberration tests with CHL cells and in vivo mouse micronucleus assay, no significant difference in the incidences of chromosomal aberration and micronuclei was seen between nonirradiated and 30 kGy irradiated porks. These results indicate that 30 kGy irradiated pork did not show any genotoxic effects under these experimental conditions.