Affiliations: Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of
Bradford, Bradford, UK | Department of Gastroenterology, Bradford Royal
Infirmary, Bradford, UK | School of Informatics, University of Bradford,
Bradford, UK
Abstract: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is partly caused by oxidative
stress from free radicals and reduced antioxidant levels. Using hydrogen
peroxide to induce oxidative stress in vitro in peripheral lymphocytes we
investigated the induction of DNA damage supplemented with ethanolic extract of
Chaga mushroom as a protective antioxidant. Lymphocytes were obtained from 20
IBD patients and 20 healthy volunteers. For treatment, a constant
H_{2}O_{2 } dose (50 μg/ml) was used with variable doses of Chaga extract
(10–500 μg/ml). DNA damage was evaluated in 50 cells per
individual and dose using the Comet assay (making 1000 observations per
experimental point ensuring appropriate statistical power). Chaga
supplementation resulted in a 54.9% (p < 0.001) reduction of
H_{2}O_{2 } induced DNA damage within the
patient group and 34.9% (p < 0.001) within the control group.
Lymphocytes from Crohn's disease (CD) patients had a greater basic DNA damage
than Ulcerative Colitis (UC) patients (p < 0.001). Conclusively,
Chaga extract reduces oxidative stress in lymphocytes from IBD patients and
also healthy individuals when challenged in vitro. Thus, Chaga extract
could be a possible and valuable supplement to inhibit oxidative stress in
general.
