ASSESSMENT OF OCTACOSANE'S GENOTOXIC AND ANTIGENOTOXIC EFFECT USING MICRONUCLEUS AND COMET ASSAYS

ABSTRACT Octacosane (OCT) is an alkane with twenty-eight carbon atoms and is an organic compound. It is an acyclic, unbranched hydrocarbon composed solely of hydrogen atoms and saturated carbon atoms. OCT has been found to occur naturally in some fruits, such as apples, and in various parts of medicinal plants, such as Taraxacum officinale, Hypericum hircinum, and Acacia nilotica. OCT has also been observed in the root parts of the Glycyrrhiza glabra from the Fabaceae family. OCT has potential applications in agriculture, food, and healthcare. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of OCT using the micronucleus assay in human lymphocytes and the DNA-damaging effect using the comet assay in isolated human lymphocytes. Cells were treated with OCT at 6.25, 12 µg/mL, 25, and 50 µg/mL for 24 and 48 hours for the MN assay and 1 hour for the comet assay. To assess antigenotoxicity, cells were co-treated with the same concentrations of OCT and either Mitomycin-C (MMC, 0.20 µg/mL) for the MN assay or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 100 μM) for the comet assay. A negative control (distilled water) and solvent control (DMSO, %.05) were also maintained. Test results revealed that OCT alone did not induce significant changes in MN frequency or DNA damage. On the contrary, it decreased the frequency of MN at 50 µg/mL against MMC. Moreover, all the combined treatments of OCT+H2O2 significantly reduced the comet tail length, tail intensity, and tail moment. In conclusion, OCT showed no genotoxic effects but reduced DNA damage by exerting a protective effect against both MMC and H2O2.

KEYWORDS: Octacosane, micronucleus, comet assay, human lymphocytes

Thanks: This study is supported by the Gazi University Research Fund under project number FCD-2025- 10117.