Shark cartilage-containing preparation: Protection against reactive oxygenspecies

There is overwhelming evidence to indicate that free radicals cause oxidati ve damage to lipids, proteins and nucleic acids and are involved in the pat hogenesis of several degenerative diseases. Therefore, antioxidants, which can neutralize free radicals, may be of central importance in the preventio n of these disease states. The protection that fruits and vegetables provid e against disease has been attributed to the various antioxidants contained in them. Recently, an anti-inflamatory and analgesic activity of a water-s oluble fraction from shark cartilage has been described. Using electrophore tical assays, bacteria survival and transformation and the Salmonella/mamma lian-microsome assay, we investigated the putative role of shark cartilage- containing preparation in protecting cells against reactive oxygen species induced DNA damage and mutagenesis. If antimutagens are to have any impact on human disease, it is essential that they are specifically directed again st the most common mutagens in daily life. Our data suggest that shark cart ilage-containing preparation can play a scavenger role for reactive oxygen species and protects cells against inactivation and mutagenesis. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved.