Genotoxic Potential of Alcohol-Containing Energy Drinks in Rats

• Main Authors: Yu-Syuan Hong, 洪妤瑄
• Other Authors: Tsung-Yun Liu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/57438286923305776410

碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 環境與職業衛生研究所 === 99 === Ethanol abuse is one of the most costly health problems in the world. According to the survey conducted by the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 1996, about 50 million Taiwanese workers routinely used the alcohol-containing energy drinks, which contain herbal extracts, taurine, caffeine, vitamin B groups and other ingredients in addition to alcohol. The manufacturers emphasize the health promoting effects of herbal extracts, and purposely ignore the influence of alcohol. Alcohol has been known with central nervous system suppressing effects, lose of physical coordination, and will directly or indirectly cause DNA damages. Many herbs have been documented to have protective effects against alcohol induced damage; this study is then designed to test the protective potential of herbal containing energy drinks against alcohol-induced DNA damages in liver and brain by using the single cell gel electrophoresis in rat. In this study, six-week-old SD male rats were divided into three groups and administered with water (control group), ethanol and alcohol-containing energy drinks for 7 days. On the 7th day, the animals were sacrificed 4 hours after the last administration, and the blood, liver, cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus were removed, then DNA damage evaluated using comet assay. In addition, the oxidation of DNA damage was examined utilizing comet assay incorporated with Fpg enzyme. The result demonstrated that short-term administration of ethanol or alcohol-containing energy drinks, the bodyweight from three groups was no significant difference. In the GPT, the performance of the three groups appears statistically significant difference. In this study, ethanol induced direct DNA damage in leukocyte, liver, cerebellum and hippocampus. On the other hand, alcohol-containing energy drinks significantly reduced DNA damage in lymphocyte, liver and hippocampus when compared with the ethanol group. After incorporation with Fpg enzyme, DNA damage increased in cerebellum of ethanol group, whereas induced liver and cerebellum DNA damages in alcohol-containing energy drinks group. This study suggest that alcohol-containing energy drinks, which contains the herb extracts and nutrients may reduce the free radicals generated by alcohol, or induced antioxidant enzymes and consequently suppressed the alcohol produced DNA damage in liver and brain.