The effects of ferulic acid and caffeic acid on DNA damage with comet assay

Ojective To investigate the effects of ferulic acid and caffeic acid on DNA damage.Methods The single cell gel electrophoresis(comet assay) was employed to assess DNA damage of human lymphocytes pre-treated with various concentrations(50,100,500 μmol/L) of ferulic acid and caffeic acid,then challenged with H2O2 at 4 ℃ for 10 min,or treated with 500 μmol/L caffeic acid(without H2O2 challenged).The fluorescence microscope(200×) was introduced to observe DNA damage.ANOVA analysis was performed on tail moment.Results Compared to positive control,the tail moments were all reduced after pretreatment of the cells with ferulic acid at different concentrations and then challenged with H2O2,and the decreasing trend was shown with the increased dose.Whereas caffeic acid at high dose(500 μmol/L) exhibited greater tail moment than low doses(50,100 μmol/L) groups.The tail moment showed markedly increasing compared to control group after treatment of the cells with caffeic acid(500 μmol/L) at 37 ℃ for 30 min(without H2O2 challenged).Conclusion Ferulic acid offered significant DNA protective effects,which showed a dose-dependent trend.Caffeic acid exhibits both antioxidative and pro-oxidative effects.