Radioprotective effect of lycopene on chromosomal aberrations (CAs) induced by gamma radiation in human lymphocytes.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the radioprotective role of lycopene on chromosomal aberrations (CAs) induced by gamma (gamma) radiation in human lymphocytes. For this purpose, we used in vitro dose-effect relationship, and correlate these data with statistical parameters. CAs were evaluated in terms of chromosome break, dicentric, tricentric, acentric, fragment and ring. Mitotic index (MI) and aberrant metaphase number (AMN) were also calculated. Nine groups of lymphocyte culture were prepared: (I) Control group did not received radiation or lycopene, (II) positive control; lymphocytes were treated only with 0.020 microM lycopene, (III) radiation group; lymphocytes were treated with only 10 Gy gamma-radiation, (IV) lymphocytes were treated with 0.001 microM lycopene before irradiation, (V) lymphocytes were treated with 0.005 microM lycopene before irradiation, (VI) lymphocytes were treated with 0.010 microM lycopene before irradiation, (VII) lymphocytes were treated with 0.015 microM lycopene before irradiation, (VIII) lymphocytes were treated with 0.018 microM lycopene before irradiation, (IX) lymphocytes were treated with treated with 0.020 microM lycopene before irradiation. The results indicated that all lycopene-supplemented lymphocytes showed a lower CAs frequency than lymphocytes in only radiation treated group. It was seen that lycopene had a protective effect on CAs particularly at 0.010, 0.015 and 0.018 microM concentrations, but this effect saturated at 0.020 microM concentration. Besides, MI increased and AMN decreased depending on applied lycopene doses. In vitro results showed that the lycopene supplementation decreases frequency of CAs and its protective role against chromosome damages induced by radiation is dose-dependent until a certain stage.