Abstract
This study aims to investigate whether asiaticoside, a triterpene glycoside, can afford protection to DNA from alterations induced by gamma radiation under in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo conditions. In vitro studies were done on plasmid pBR322 DNA, ex vivo studies were done on cellular DNA of human peripheral blood leukocytes, and in vivo investigations were conducted on cellular DNA of spleen and bone marrow cells of mice exposed to whole-body gamma radiation. The supercoiled form of the plasmid pBR322 DNA upon exposure to the radiation was converted into relaxed open circular form due to induction of strand breaks. Presence of asiaticoside along with the DNA during irradiation prevented the relaxation of the supercoiled form to the open circular form. When human peripheral blood leukocytes were exposed to gamma radiation, the cellular DNA suffered strand breaks as evidenced by the increased comet parameters in an alkaline comet assay. Asiaticoside, when present along with blood during irradiation ex vivo, prevented the strand breaks and the comet parameters were closer to that of the controls. Whole-body exposure of mice to gamma radiation resulted in a significant increase in comet parameters of DNA of bone marrow and spleen cells of mice as a result of radiation-induced strand breaks in DNA. Administration of asiaticoside prior to whole-body radiation exposure of the mice prevented this increase in radiation-induced increase in comet parameters, which could be the result of protection to DNA under in vivo conditions of radiation exposure. Thus, it can be concluded from the results that asiaticoside can offer protection to DNA from radiation-induced alterations under in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo conditions.