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Antagonistic effects of black tea against gamma radiation-induced oxidative damage to normal lymphocytes in comparison with cancerous K562 cells

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Abstract

The potential of naturally occurring antioxidants to reduce the cellular oxidative damage induced by ionizing radiation has been studied for more than a decade for their pharmacological application during cancer treatment. It is already known that radioprotective efficacy of phytochemicals might influence various end points of radiation damage. Flavonoids are well-known natural radioprotectors, and their biological effects depend upon their chemical structure. In the present study, radioprotective effect of black tea rich in flavonoids was evaluated against gamma radiation-induced oxidative damage on normal lymphocytes and compared with erythroleukemic K562 cells. Pre-treatment with black tea extract (BTE) significantly reduced radiation-induced loss of cell viability, generation of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, activation of caspase-3 and apoptosis in normal lymphocytes compared to K562 cells. BTE also regulates the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. The changes in the mRNA expression of bax, bcl2, p53 and Nrf2 were also followed to evaluate regulation of radiation-induced apoptosis by BTE. These findings suggest that black tea may have the potential of a natural radioprotective agent which can be used as adjunct with radiation during cancer treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Tea Research Foundation (NTRF), India. Author Debjani Ghosh is thankful to Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for Senior Research Fellowship. Author Dr. Chabita Saha is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, India, for the financial assistance. The authors are also thankful to Dr. Abhijit Saha at University Grant Commission-Department of Atomic Energy (UGC-DAE) Center for Scientific Research for providing us the gamma irradiation facility and his constant cooperation throughout the work. Thanks are also extended to Dr. Aparna Dutta at UGC-DAE Center for Scientific Research for her technical support and cooperation throughout the work without which this work would have not been possible. Last but not the least thanks are also due to Dr. Sanjaya Mallick of BD, Biosciences at Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Calcutta, for his constant cooperation and technical support during flow cytometry experiments.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, West Bengal University of Technology, BF-142, Sector I, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700064, India

    Debjani Ghosh, Subrata Kumar Dey & Chabita Saha

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  1. Debjani Ghosh
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  2. Subrata Kumar Dey
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  3. Chabita Saha
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Correspondence to Chabita Saha.

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Ghosh, D., Dey, S.K. & Saha, C. Antagonistic effects of black tea against gamma radiation-induced oxidative damage to normal lymphocytes in comparison with cancerous K562 cells. Radiat Environ Biophys 53, 695–704 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-014-0551-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-014-0551-8

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