Journal of Ethnopharmacology 134 (2011) 329–333 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Ethnopharmacology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm Role of Syzygium cumini seed extract in the chemoprevention of in vivo genomic damage and oxidative stress Renganathan Arun a , M. Velayutham Dass Prakash a , Suresh K. Abraham b , Kumpati Premkumar a,∗ a Department of Biomedical Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India b School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110 067, India article info Article history: Received 11 March 2010 Received in revised form 21 November 2010 Accepted 14 December 2010 Available online 21 December 2010 Keywords: Syzygium cumini Urethane DMBA Antioxidant Micronucleus Chromosomal aberration Oxidative stress abstract Ethanopharmacological relevance: The seeds of Syzygium cumini, Skeels (Jamun) are extensively used in India for treatment of diabetes and other ailments. Aim of the study: The aim of this work was to assess the role of Jamun seed extract (JSE) as a chemopro- tective agent against in vivo oxidative stress and genomic damage. Materials and methods: Experiments were carried out to evaluate in vitro protective effects of JSE against hydroxyl radical induced damage in pBR322 DNA, and in vivo genomic damage and oxidative stress in mice which received JSE orally for 5 days before exposure to genotoxic carcinogens urethane (URE) and 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Results: Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of JSE showed significant protective effects against hydroxyl rad- ical induced strand breaks in pBR322 DNA. The in vivo experiments with aqueous JSE showed significant protective effects against chromosomal damage induced by the genotoxic carcinogens URE and DMBA. Biochemical assays registered significant inhibition of hepatic lipid peroxidation and increase in GSH level and activity of GST, SOD and CAT. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that JSE can possibly play an important role as a chemopreventive agent against oxidative stress and genomic damage. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The present study was initiated with the main aim of evaluat- ing the possible antigenotoxic effects of the medicinal seed extract obtained from Syzygium cumini, Skeels (Synonym: Eugenia jam- bolana Lam.; Family Myrtaceae). In India, the deep purple colored, oblong edible fruit with a large centrally located seed is commonly known as Jamun. The fruit pulp and seed extract of Jamun have a long history of medicinal use. Extensive laboratory investigations carried out during the last three decades have furnished substan- tial information on the antidiabetic properties of this tropical fruit (Prince et al., 2003). Besides, there are reports on the antioxidant (Banerjee et al., 2005; Benherlal and Arumughan, 2007), anti- inflammatory (Chaudhuri et al., 1990), antipyretic (Ghosh et al., 1985), anti-allergic (De Brito et al., 2007), anti-bacterial (Bhuiyan Abbreviations: JSE, Jamun seed extract; URE, urethane; DMBA, 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene; LPO, lipid peroxidation; GSH, reduced glutathione; GST, glu- tathione S-transferase; SOD, superoxide dismutase; CAT, catalase; SD, standard deviation; PCE, polychromatic erythrocytes; NCE, normochromatic erythrocytes; MnPCE, micronucleated PCE. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 8056589893; fax: +91 0431 2407045. E-mail address: pkumpati@hotmail.com (K. Premkumar). et al., 1996), gastro-protective (Chaturvedi et al., 2007) and radio- protective properties of Jamun seed extract (JSE) (Jagetia and Baliga, 2002). In view of the paucity of information on the antigenotoxic effects of this antioxidant-rich medicinal fruit (Veigas et al., 2007; Reynertson et al., 2008), we initiated the present study to evalu- ate the possible protective effects of aqueous JSE against in vivo genomic damage and oxidative stress induced by the genotoxic carcinogen urethane (URE) and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Prior to this, in vitro tests were carried out with JSE to evaluate the free radical induced strand breaks in pBR322 DNA. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Chemicals Genotoxic chemicals and stains used for the present study were obtained from Sigma Chemicals (USA). All the other chemicals were purchased from Merck (India) and Qualigens (India). 2.2. Plant materials Syzygium cumini (Jamun) seeds were collected freshly during June–August from a location in Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu, India). 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.12.014