| Grant number: | 08/06793-4 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |
| Effective date (Start): | March 01, 2009 |
| Effective date (End): | February 29, 2012 |
| Field of knowledge: | Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutrition Biochemistry |
| Principal Investigator: | Lusânia Maria Greggi Antunes |
| Grantee: | Juliana Mara Serpeloni |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil |
| Associated research grant: | 05/59552-6 - Integrated evaluation of the stability and functional properties of natural pigments of foods, AP.TEM |
Abstract In the last 10 years, our research group has done studies with compounds in the diet. The goals have been the investigation of possible antimutagenic and cytoprotective activities of carotenoids, phenolics and vitamins. The idea of combining micronutrients, mainly antioxidants, for chemoprevention seeks an increasing of their effectiveness, the decline in the use of individual doses and possible reduction of toxicity of drugs. In literature there is still a lack of studies on the synergistic or antagonistic interactions of natural pigments isolated from the diet, as chlorophylls and carotenoids, and their effects on living organisms, since the available data was obtained in in vitro systems. Therefore, this study aims to contribute with the research project "Integrated evaluation of the stability and functional properties of natural pigments from foods", by assessing the potential cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic and protective effects of the isolated natural pigments, chlorophyll "b" and lutein as well as the effects of their mixture. For this, it will be used the tests recommended by international regulatory agencies for assessment of mutagenicity such as micronucleus test in bone marrow cells and peripheral blood and the comet assay in peripheral blood, kidney and liver cells of mice. For the verification of antimutagenic activity of pigments, it is recommend the use of an agent recognized mutagenic. In this case, with the experience of our laboratory in investigations about the damage caused by chemotherapy cisplatin (cDDP), this will be the inducer selected for the tests of antimutagenicity. This study also aims to investigate the effects of these natural pigments in the expression of genes in response to oxidative stress also in liver and kidney cells of mice using tools of molecular biology like the polymerase chain reaction (PCR array) system. (AU) | |