Protection of peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage by dietary antioxidants

The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that dietary antioxidants protect DNA damage induced by peroxynitrite, a potent physiological inorganic toxin. The present study showed that dietary antioxidants such as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, quercerin, rutin, resveratrol, and ursolic acid inhibit single strand breaks in supercoiled plasmid DNA induced by 3-morpholinosydnomine N-ethylcarbamide (SIN-1), a generator of peroxynitrite through the reaction between nitric oxide and superoxide anion. The formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) in calf thymus DNA by SIN-1 was also inhibited by dietary antioxidants. When U937 cells were incubated with 1 mM SIN-1 bolus, a significant increase of 8-OH-dG level was observed. However, oxidative DNA damage was significantly lower in the cells pre-treated with dietary antioxidants when cells were exposed to SIN-1.