The effects of thyme volatiles on the induction of DNA damage by the heterocyclic amine IQ and mitomycin C

• Published in: Mutation research Vol. 581; no. 1; pp. 43 - 53
• Main Authors: AYDIN, Sevtap, AHMET BASARAN, A, BASARAN, Nursen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 07.03.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: 2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]-quinoline; Alkylating Agents - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinogens - pharmacology; Carvacrol; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Comet Assay; DNA - drug effects; DNA Damage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Humans; Lymphocytes - drug effects; Lymphocytes - physiology; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mitomycin - pharmacology; Mitomycin C; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Plant Oils - chemistry; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Quinolines - pharmacology; Single-cell gel electrophoresis; Thyme; Thymol; Thymus Plant - chemistry; Toxicology; γ-terpinene; 2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]-quinoline; Single-cell gel electrophoresis; Carvacrol; Mitomycin C; Thymol; Thyme; γ-terpinene; Comet assay; Antineoplastic agent; Mitomycin; Induction; Mutagenicity testing; Antibiotic; Toxicology; Amine; DNA; Quinoline; Genetics; Lesion
• ISSN: 1383-5718; 0027-5107; 1879-3592
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2004.10.017

The leafy parts of thyme and its essential oil have been used in foods for its flavour, aroma and preservation for many years. In the present study the genotoxic potential of major compounds of thyme oil, i.e. thymol, carvacrol, and γ-terpinene and of the methanolic extracts of thyme, were investigated in human lymphocytes by single-cell gel electrophoresis. Also, the effects of these substances on the induction of DNA damage by 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]-quinoline (IQ) and mitomycin C (MMC) were evaluated. No increase in DNA strand breakage was observed at thymol and γ-terpinene concentrations below 0.1 mM, but at the higher concentration of 0.2 mM significant increases in DNA damage were seen. Thymol and γ-terpinene significantly reduced the DNA strand breakage induced by IQ and MMC at the lower concentrations studied. Carvacrol, which is an isomer of thymol, seemed to protect lymphocytes from the genotoxic effects of IQ and MMC at non-toxic concentrations below 0.05 mM, but at the higher concentration of 0.1 mM carvacrol itself induced DNA damage. Also the constituents of the n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions prepared from the concentrated aqueous methanolic extracts of Thymus spicata protected lymphocytes against IQ- and MMC-induced DNA damage in a concentration-dependent manner.