Kurinnyi D. Modification of radiation-induced mutagenesis in human peripheral blood lymphocytes using astaxanthin.

The thesis is devoted to study the effects of astaxanthin on the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and the level of DNA damages in human peripheral blood lymphocytes under ionizing radiation exposure in vitro. To achieve the purpose of the research first used a combination of classical cytogenetic methods (G2- and G0 - radiation sensitivity assays) and molecular-genetic method of single cell electrophoresis (Comet assay) in one and the same model system (culture of human peripheral blood lymphocytes), irradiated on different stages of mitotic cycle in a dose of 1.0 Gy. The frequencies both the cytogenetic (chromosome aberrations) and the molecular-genetic (DNA damages, cells in the state of apoptosis) indicators - the background, under the impact of astaxanthin in different concentrations, under gamma-radiation (137Cs) exposure in a dose of 1.0 Gy, with the combined effect of irradiation and astaxanthin in the optimal effective concentration (20.0 ?g / ml) had been established. The specificity of the modifying effect of astaxanthin on radiation-induced genomic injuries depending on the stage of the cell cycle had been determined - a significant weakening of the negative effect of ionizing radiation on the G0 stage and the absence of a radioprotective effect on the S and G2 stages of the cell cycle, which may be due to activation by astaxanthin of apoptosis in irradiated cells with a critically high level of the genome damages. The research results not only testify about strong radioprotective effect of astaxanthin, but also demonstrate the feasibility of parallel use of cytogenetic and molecular-genetic methods to assess the impact as mutagens as well as factors that modify the effect of mutagens on genome stability, which became the basis for patent for utility model "Method of complex evaluation of genomic vulnerability and functioning of reparation systems in human somatic cells".