Toxicological and chemoprevention studies of Brazilian brown propolis from Araucaria sp.

Brazilian brown propolis (BBP) is a natural product derived predominantly from the south region of Brazil, where Araucaria forests are dominant. Despite its potential as a source of bioactive compounds with leishmanicidal, anti-inflammatory, nociceptive, and antimicrobial properties, BBP has not been comprehensively studied compared to green propolis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the safety and chemopreventive potential of BBP. The cytotoxicity attributed to BBP was assessed using two different assays, while the Salmonella/microsome assay was employed to evaluate mutagenicity. The acute toxicity attributed to BBP was determined using a zebrafish model, while the chemopreventive potential was investigated utilizing Chinese hamster lung (V79) cell lines. Data demonstrated that BBP exerted cytotoxic effects at concentrations greater than or equal to 10 µg/ml and did not exhibit mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. However, at the highest concentration tested (4000 µg/plate), BBP induced a significant increase in revertant colonies in S. typhimurium TA102 strain. The LC50 equivalent to 8.83 mg/L was obtained in the acute toxicity evaluation in zebrafish. BBP also showed antigenotoxic effect by significantly reducing chromosomal damage induced by the mutagen doxorubicin in V79 cell cultures at a concentration of 2.5 µg/ml. Compared to Brazilian green and red propolis, BBP exhibited greater toxicity. On the other hand, at lower concentrations, BBP displayed chemopreventive potential, which may be associated with the antioxidant capacity of the extract. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the biological properties and potential applications of BBP in treating various diseases.

Bixin protects hepatocytes against 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced genotoxicity but does not suppress DNA damage and pre-neoplastic lesions in the colon of Wistar rats.

Bixin is a carotenoid found in the seeds of Bixa orellana L., a plant native to tropical America that is used in the food industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bixin on DNA damage and pre-neoplastic lesions induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in the liver and colon of Wistar rats. The animals received bixin at daily doses of 0.1, 1.0 and 10mg/kg body weight (bw) by gavage. For the assessment of DNA damage in hepatocytes and colon cells with the comet assay, the administration of bixin was for 7 days. The animals received a single subcutaneous injection of 25mg/kg bw of DMH, and were euthanized 4h later. For the evaluation of the frequency of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), the animals were treated with the different doses of bixin for 4 weeks. Four doses of 40mg/kg bw DMH, two doses in the first week and two doses in the second week, were administered and euthanasia occurred at 4 weeks after the beginning of treatment. Bixin reduced the frequency of DNA damage in hepatocytes at the highest two doses tested (1.0 and 10mg/kg bw). On the other hand, no differences in the frequency of DNA damage in colon cells were observed between animals treated with bixin plus DMH and those treated with DMH alone. In addition, the frequency of ACF did not differ significantly between the group treated with bixin plus DMH and the DMH group. The results suggest that bixin does not suppress the formation of ACF, indicating the absence of a protective effect against colon carcinogenesis.