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Brassica by-products are a source of natural bioactive molecules such as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, with potential applications in the nutraceutical and functional food industries. However, the effects of oral sub-chronic exposure to broccoli by-product flour (BF) have not yet been evaluated. The objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effects of BF intake in the physiological parameters of FVB/N mice fed a 6.7% BF-supplemented diet for 21 days. Glucosinolates and their derivatives were also quantified in plasma and urine. BF supplementation significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the accumulation of perirenal adipose tissue. Furthermore, mice supplemented with BF showed significantly lower (p < 0.01) microhematocrit values than control animals, but no impact on the general genotoxicological status nor relevant toxic effects on the liver and kidney were observed. Concerning hepatic and renal antioxidant response, BF supplementation induced a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the liver glutathione S-transferase (GST) levels. In BF-supplemented mice, plasma analysis revealed the presence of the glucosinolates glucobrassicin and glucoerucin, and the isothiocyanates sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. Overall, these results show that daily intake of a high dose of BF during three weeks is safe, and enables the bioavailability of beneficial glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. These results allow further testing of the benefits of this BF in animal models of disease, knowing that exposure of up to 6.7% BF does not present relevant toxicity.

The functional characterization of marine macroalgae toward their potential to strength genome protection is still scarce. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the antigenotoxic potential of Ulva rigida, Fucus vesiculosus, and Gracilaria species in Drosophila melanogaster following dietary exposure and adopting the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART). All macroalgae displayed a genoprotection activity, namely against an exogenous challenge (streptonigrin). The action against subtler endogenous pressures was also noted indicating that supplementation level is a critical factor. Gracilaria species provided ambivalent indications, since 10% of G. vermiculophylla inhibited the egg laying and/or larvae development, while 10% of G. gracilis promoted spontaneous genotoxicity. The effects of U. rigida were modulated (in intensity) by the growing conditions, demonstrating higher genoprotection against streptonigrin-induced damage when grown in an aquaculture-controlled system, while the effectiveness against spontaneous genotoxicity was more apparent in specimens grown under wild conditions. In contrast, F. vesiculosus did not produce significant differences in its potential under varying growing conditions. Overall, these findings shed some light on the macroalgae ability toward genome protection, contributing to the development of algaculture industry, and reinforcing the concept of functional food and its benefits.

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Genotoxicological studies are emerging as fundamental for knowing the hazards to our genome, to our health. Drosophila melanogaster is one of the preferable organisms for toxicological research considering its metabolic similarities (viz. on dietary input, xenobiotic metabolizing system, antioxidant enzymes and DNA repair systems) to mammals. Accordingly, somatic mutation and recombination tests (SMARTs) of D. melanogaster are fast and low-cost in vivo assays that have shown solid results evaluating genotoxicity. The w/w + SMART uses the white (w) gene as a recessive marker to monitor the presence of mutant ommatidia (eye units), indicating the occurrence of point mutations, deletions, mitotic recombination or/and nondisjunction. Additionally, several studies used SMARTs to assess antigenotoxicity, with some using the w/w + SMART. We reviewed the state of the art of the w/w + SMART used for antigenotoxicity analysis, focusing on published results, aiming to contribute to the conception of a reliable protocol in antigenotoxicity. As such, genotoxic agents with known action mechanisms, as streptonigrin (oxidative stress inducer), were used as a genotoxic insult for proving the antigenotoxic effects of natural substances (e.g. seaweeds), demonstrating the presence of antimutagens in their composition. These antigenotoxicity studies are crucial for promoting preventive measures against environmental genotoxics that affect humans daily.

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