Protective effect of phytochemicals on the triclosan-induced DNA damage

Aim : Triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent, is widely used in several consumer products, including soaps, tooth paste and surgical cleaning treatments. The present study aimed to examine oxidative DNA damage in rat lymphocytes and its protection by phytochemicals via comet assay. Methodology : DNA damage of rat lymphocytes induced by triclosan was measured by the olive tail moment in the comet assay. Following the addition of N-acetylcysteine, curcumin, berberine and resveratrol, the reduction of DNA damage was observed by using comet assay. Results : The increased olive tail moment induced by triclosan was significantly reduced upon treating N-acetylcysteine and three phytochemicals, such as curcumin, berberine and resveratrol. Notably, the oxidative DNA damage by triclosan was dramatically suppressed by curcumin close to the control value, which means almost complete protection in vitro. Interpretation : These results suggest that in vitro suppressive effect of curcumin, berberine and resveratrol against DNA damage by triclosan might be due to their antioxidative properties, and could be utilized for developing a reducing agent for triclosan toxicity.