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Garlic Helps Protect Our DNA
June 07, 2002Mutagens damage DNA. Consequently, antimutagens have to repair these damages. As the effects on DNA differ, the ways of reparation also vary. However, the mechanism of the activity of some antimutagens has not been found yet. A team headed by Professor G.D. Zasukhina at N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics (http://www.vigg.ru/vigg-en.htm), has investigated antimutagenic activity of a garlic extract. The scientists have found out that garlic stimulates the reparation of the damaged DNA and in some cases protects it from negative effect.
The scientists took their experiments in the culture of human fibroblasts, the cells of connective tissue that are divided quickly. The cells were treated with one of the following mutagens: gamma radiation, cadmium chloride, and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (NQO). These mutagens had been chosen because the cell was cured or, as the specialists say, repaired the damages made by them with different rates. DNA breaks caused by gamma radiation were repaired within fifteen minutes, the damages from the influence of NQO were repaired partly for four hours and completely for one day, and finally, after treating the cells with cadmium chloride they could not get round for more than twenty four hours.
To prepare the extract the cloves of garlic were crumbled in the nutrient medium which the cells were cultured in. Then a drop of this solution was introduced into the vessel with the cell culture. The cells were treated with one of the mutagens in twenty-four hours and then the scientists estimated the number of DNA breaks.
In all three cases the scientists have obtained the protective effect of garlic but it appeared differently. If the cells were treated with cadmium chloride or gamma radiation, garlic protected DNA from breaks. So, if cadmium chloride spoils approximately one-fifth part of cellular DNA, this number is reduced to eight per cent under the effect of garlic and the cells repair the breaks for four hours practically completely. It is worth mentioning that the reparation takes more than twenty-four hours normally. It is common knowledge that radiation and salts of cadmium cause the formation of free radicals and their mutagenic activity is based on this effect. Garlic extract captures these free radicals and the researchers believe that the protective effect of garlic in this case is connected exactly with this property.
The situation differs in the case with NQO. This compound does not form free radicals, garlic does not get anything to capture, and, as the experiment proves, the magic extract practically does not influence the number of damages. However, it accelerates the reparation of DNA significantly. If the portion of DNA repaired in the cells that had not been treated with the garlic extract was only seventy seven per cent in comparison with the control in four hours after treating the cells with the mutagen, the reparation turned out to be complete under the influence of garlic within this period of time.
In such a way, the garlic extract protects our DNA from damages and in addition the reparation of what it could not save proceeds much faster than in normal conditions. Taking into consideration the possible level of pollution not only in big cities but also in places situated far from the civilization garlic should be treated with much more respect.
Informnauka (Informscience) Agency
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