Effect of allicin on peripheral blood cell DNA damage in human body after exhaustive exercise

This study was designed to observe the effect of allicin tonic on peripheral blood cell DNA damage as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) activities in serum after exhaustive exercise, and explore the mechanism of allicin in anti-DNA oxidative damage. Totally 16 healthy male athletes were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 8 athletes in each group. Each group was treated with oral administration of placebo and garlicin capsules fourteen days before exercise; then all subjects took part in Bruce exhaustive exercise scheme after tonic, and blood was sampled for anticoagulation before and after tonic and immediately after exercise respectively. Peripheral blood cell DNA damage in human body was detected with single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), and SOD activity, content of GSH and MDA were measured in plasma. Results showed that levels of DNA damage and oxidative stress in two groups had no significant difference before and after tonic (P > 0.05); furthermore, athletes' peripheral blood cell DNA damage detected immediately after exercise in experimental group was obviously lower than that after exhaustive exercise in control group, and its MDA level, SOD and GSH content decreased significantly compared with exhaustive control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.05). However, SOD, GSH and MDA level detected immediately after exercise in control group increased notably in comparison with those before exercise, and DNA damage intensified apparently (P < 0.001). Thus, it can be concluded that exhaustive exercise is able to induce the increase of peripheral blood cell DNA damage in human body as well as MDA level of lipid peroxidative product, and mediate the over expression of SOD and GSH antioxidant enzyme activities. In addition, allicin is believed to be capable of improving antioxidant ability of body, reducing free radical level, also relieving and preventing DNA damage caused by oxidative stress in exercise.