Keywords: DNA damage, comet assay, radioprotector, tocopherol monoglucoside, DNA repair enhancement, gamma radiation, low radiation, gel electrophoresis, DNA strand breaks, irradiation exposure, peripheral blood leucocytes
Enhancement in repair of radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in vivo by tocopherol monoglucoside
Damage to cellular DNA and its repair in the peripheral blood leucocytes of mice exposed to 4 Gy whole-body gamma-radiation was studied by alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay. The comet parameters of DNA, such as comet tail length, % of DNA in tail, tail moment and olive tail moment, were found increased in the leucocytes from irradiated animals due to radiation-induced DNA strand breaks. The strand breaks in cellular DNA were repaired in a time dependent manner as evidenced from the decrease in the comet parameters. Thus, 15 minutes after irradiation exposure, 15% of DNA strand breaks were repaired and at 90 minutes post-irradiation, 43% were repaired. When tocopherol monoglucoside was administered to mice following radiation, it was found that at 15 and 90 minutes post-irradiation, 64% and 67% DNA, respectively, were repaired. This would suggest that administration of tocopherol monoglucoside enhanced the repair of cellular DNA damage in whole-body irradiated mice. However, in vitro studies, either with humans or mice, peripheral blood leucocytes showed that the presence of tocopherol monoglucoside (0.5 mM) in post-irradiation incubation medium did not enhance the repair of DNA strand breaks.