Full Communication Antioxidant and Antigenotoxic Activities of Purple Grape Juice—Organic and Conventional—in Adult Rats Caroline Dani, 1 Lı ´via S. Oliboni, 1 Fernanda M. Umezu, 1 Matheus A.B. Pasquali, 2 Mirian Salvador, 1 Jose ´ Cla ´udio Fonseca Moreira, 2 and Joa ˜o Antonio Pegas Henriques 1 1 Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul; and 2 Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquı´mica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ABSTRACT Oxidative damage to biomolecules occurs by the accumulation of molecular damage due to free radicals and=or a diminution of antioxidant protection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protection of organic and con- ventional purple grape juices in brain, liver, and plasma from adult Wistar rats (7 months old) against the oxidative damage provoked by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ). Adult rats were divided into three groups (control, conventional purple grape juice, and organic purple grape juice). Half of the rats received CCl 4 , and the other half received the vehicle (vegetable oil). The chemical analytical determination showed that the highest levels of total phenolic, resveratrol, and catechins were seen in organic purple grape juices. Considering the treatment groups, it was observed that in all tissues (brain structures and liver) and plasma, CCl 4 treatment increased the lipid peroxidation (LP) levels. Both grape juices were capable to reduce LP levels in cerebral cortex and hippocampus; however, in the striatum and substantia nigra only the organic grape juice reduced LP level. CCl 4 caused an increase in catalase activity in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and substantia nigra and in superoxide dismutase activity in substantia nigra. This increase was reduced by both juices in substantia nigra and hippocampus structures (P < .05). In the alkaline version of the comet assay performed on whole blood, it was observed that CCl 4 was capable of inducing mainly DNA damage class 4 and 3 frequencies, which was significantly reduced in groups that received both purple grape juices. This implies that both grape juices have an important antigenotoxic activity. KEY WORDS:  DNA damage  grape juice  oxidative stress INTRODUCTION E pidemiological studies have suggested an inverse relation between the consumption of polyphenol-rich foods and beverages and the risk of degenerative diseases, particularly cancers and cardiovascular diseases, mainly by their antioxidant capacity. 1,2 Some researches have also shown that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are beneficial in both forestalling and reversing the deleterious effects of aging on neuronal communication and behavior. 3–5 In these studies, the protection observed may be the result of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the poly- phenolic compounds found in these fruits and vegetables. 6 Grape juice is a very rich source of polyphenols, such as flavonoids, tannins, and resveratrol, 7 showing important an- tioxidant activity in vitro. 7 However, the question whether properties demonstrated in in vitro studies are relevant to protect against oxidative damage in vivo remains. Indeed, in previous studies, 8,9 we observed that chronic intake of grape juice—organic and conventional—was able to reduce oxidative stress damage in brain tissues (striatum and substantia nigra), liver, and plasma in young rats (2 months old), using carbon tetra- chloride (CCl 4 ) as the oxidative damage inducer. CCl 4 -induced toxicity is a well-characterized murine model for oxidative damage in vivo. The toxicity of CCl 4 results from its reductive dehalogenation by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system into a trichloromethyl free radical, which readily interacts with molecular oxygen to form the trichloromethyl peroxyl radical. Several studies have dem- onstrated that the liver is not the only target organ of CCl 4 . CCl 4 has been reported to cause lipid peroxidation (LP) in other organs such as kidney, heart, and brain. 10,11 Aging is a process that accumulates oxidative damage leading to DNA, lipid, and protein damages. Such free radi- cal-mediated damages are prevalent during aging and are associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkin- son’s. 12,13 In this study, we chose rats older than those of the first studies 8,9 to verify if grape juice protection is also pres- ent in older individuals. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effects of two different purple grape juices—organic and conventional—in reducing oxidative stress generated by CCl 4 in 7-month-old rats. Manuscript received 4 October 2008. Revision accepted 6 February 2009. Address correspondence to: Dr. Joa˜o Antonio Pegas Henriques, Instituto de Biotecno- logia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Rua Francisco Getu´lio Vargas 1130, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil, 95070-560, E-mail: henriques@cbiot.ufrgs.br JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD J Med Food 12 (5) 2009, 1111–1118 # Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition DOI: 10.1089=jmf.2008.0256 1111