CISPLATIN-INDUCED GENOTOXICITY AND ITS MODULATION BY PASSION FRUIT PULP IN SHR RATS.

NU02

KONTA, E.M. (1); AMARAL, C.L. (2); BUENO, R.B.L. (2); AISSA, A.F. (2); ANTUNES, L.M.G. (2), BIANCHI, M.L.P.(1,2).

(1) Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara- UNESP, (2) Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto- USP.

Several components of the diet are able to inhibit the carcinogen process and are an important factor in the cancer prevention, due its antigenotoxic effects. Evidences in literature have showed promissory action of bioactive compounds from leaves of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) that acts as antioxidants, immunomodulators and anticarcinogenics. The antioxidative capacity of passion fruit pulp is not well characterized in the literature. This study has aimed to investigate the protective effects of passion fruit pulp against the in vivo chromosomal damage induced by the antineoplasic drug cisplatin (cDDP), a known genotoxic agent, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The in vivo bone marrow micronucleus in polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) test was performed to assess chromosomal damage. Fifty male SHR rats were divided into eight groups included the negative control; a positive control (cDDP 0.5 mg/kg b.w, intraperitoneally); three groups treated with three different doses of passion fruit pulp (orally) for four days and three groups associated the fruit pulp for four days prior the administration of cDDP. The results indicated that no increase in the mean number MNPCE, in the three doses tested (pulp I, II and III), compared with the negative control (p>0.05). These results indicate that the fruit pulp had no clastogenic and/or aneugenic effect when administrated orally in SHR rats. These results were accompanied by a slight decline in the polychromatic erythrocytes-normochromatic erythrocytes (PCE/NCE) ratio. These results did not differ to the negative control. These data show that the fruit pulp in the three tested doses did not affect the cellular proliferation of the red cells and therefore were not cytotoxic in the tested conditions. As expected, in the animals treated with cDDP the number of MNPCEs was significantly increased compared to negative controls (p<0.05). The combined treatment with cDDP and the fruit pulp succeeded to reduce the MNPCE in bone marrow cells and the genotoxic effects of cDDP, compared to cDDP alone. The protection against cDDP-induced genotoxicity by passion fruit pulp may be due to inhibition of free radicals and increased antioxidant status. These promising data obtained in vivo can contribute to the inclusion of this fruit in future trials in studies of chemopreventive agents in humans.