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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Comet Assay as an Indirect Measure of Systemic Oxidative Stress
Published on: May 22, 2015
Antioxidant and genoprotective effects of osthole against cadmium-induced DNA damage: an in vitro study using comet
Ehsan Vahidifar1, Seyed Ebrahim Sajjadi2, Mahmoud Etebari1
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, I.R. Iran.
Background And Purpose:
Osthole, a plant-derived coumarin, has shown numerous pharmacological effects. However, its genoprotective effects against cadmium-induced DNA damage have not been determined yet. Therefore, this project aimed to assess the effectiveness of osthole against genotoxicity caused by cadmium.
Experimental Approach:
For this purpose, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with various concentrations of osthole (40, 60, 80, and 120 µM) 24 h before cadmium chloride (CdCl2) treatment (40 µM), and then DNA damage was evaluated by comet assay. Furthermore, DPPH and free thiol group assays were applied to evaluate reactive oxygen species scavenger and antioxidant capacities of osthole.
Findings / Results:
In the present study, all concentrations of osthole significantly decreased CdCl2-induced DNA damage. Furthermore, the antioxidant properties of the osthole were confirmed by DPPH and free thiol assays.
Conclusion And Implications:
Overall, the findings of this project revealed that osthole could ameliorate cadmium-induced genotoxicity probably by its antioxidant activity.
