Propolis ameliorates human peripheral blood lymphocytes from DNA damage caused by Aflatoxin B1

Abstract

Propolis, a natural product derived from plant resins collected by honeybees, has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine all over the world. Its components are strong antioxidants and free radical scavengers. On the other hand, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most potent pulmonary and hepatic carcinogen. Since the eradication of AFB1 contamination in agricultural products has been difficult, the use of natural or synthetic free radical scavengers could be a potential chemopreventive strategy. The biological effects of propolis are known, but its interaction with AFB1 is not known for therapeutic uses. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the protective effects of different concentrations of propolis (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/L) against AFB1 (3.12 ppm) genotoxicity in human lymphocytes in vitro. The genotoxic effects were assessed by micronucleus (MN) test in human blood cultures. The results of the present study indicated that AFB1 significantly (P<0.05) increased formations of MNs in peripheral lymphocytes as compared to controls. On the contrary, propolis alone did not show genotoxic effects at the concentrations tested. Furthermore, AFB1-induced increases in the genotoxicity indices were diminished by the addition of propolis. This anti-mutagenic effect of propolis can be attributed to its powerful scavenger ability.