ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF ILEX PARAGUARIENSIS
M. Erben Ann Nutr Metab 2013;63(suppl 1):1646
Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) beverages have been consumed as popular infusions in South America for years. This plant attracts the scientific
community for its beneficial effects on health. The aim of this work was to evaluate Yerba mate antioxidant properties in human lymphocytes exposed in vitro to oxidative damage, using the Comet assay, a sensitive and rapid method for DNA strand break detection in individual cells.
Methods: Two commercial brands were analyzed using 5% infusions, filtered and stored at -20°C (infusion 1 and 2). Lymphocytes were exposed in vitro to 10µM H2O2 for 10 min and then allowed to repair with increasing concentrations of the infusion for 30 min at 37°C: repair I (RI: 10 l/ml),repair II (RII: 100 l/ml) and repair III (RIII: 1000 l/ml), and a control with norepair (CWR), without the addition of the infusions. As a
positive control, cells were exposed to 50µM H2O2 while the negative control remained without H2O2Comet assay was
performed following standard protocols. Samples were stained with Ethidium Bromide, analyzed under a fluorescent microscope and Damage Index (DI) and the percentage of reduction (%R) were calculated.
Results: Both commercial brands showed similar protective effects (p>0.05). Differences were found among treatments of yerba mate used in the DI. For the infusion 1, results revealed that RI, RII and RIII showed a lower DI related to CWR (p<0.05). In the infusion 2, RII and RIII groups presented
less DI than CWR, while RI showed more damage than RIII (p<0.05). The %R indicated a decreased in oxidative damage as infusion concentration increases (p<0.05).
