Radu Marian Serban¹, Nicolai Craciun¹², Constantin Munteanu³, Diana Munteanu³ͯ, Gheorghe Stoian¹

1 University of Bucharest, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular biology, Bucharest, Romania

2  Ecological  Society  for  Research  and  Conservation  of  Wild  Flora  and  Fauna  “Aquaterra” Romania

3 Biosafety SRL, Romania

4 National Institute of Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine and Balneoclimatology,  Bucharest, Romania  Corresponding authors:serban_radu2003@yahoo.com; gigistoian2007@yahoo.com

Abstract

Electromagnetic radiation is an important factor that has a powerful influence  on the organisms. Different types of radiation have different effects, while some are  harmless; the ones that have high energy can determine major changes at a molecular  level.

In  order to  protect  themselves,  many classes  of  algae  developed different  defense  mechanisms,  through  biosynthesis  of  a  family  of  compounds  named  mycosporine like amino acids (MAA). This MAA are capable of absorbing UV type  radiation, protecting the more sensitive molecule of the cells and literature data show that these compounds have the capacity to protect human skin cells against UV rays  of solar radiation.

The  aim of this  study  was  to determine if  the  MAA were able to  protect mammalian  cells against  X-rays, an electromagnetic  radiation with  higher energy then UV. The radioprotection was tested using Wistar mouse fibroblast cells cultures by placing between them and  the source of  the radiation (between  78.37 and 173 Sv/h) an agarose gel who contains different concentrations of an alcoholic extract obtained from Ceramium genus of red  algae. Viability tests  and metalloproteinase profile have indicated that X-ray protection of the fibroblast culture depends on the intensity of the x-ray and the concentration of red algae extract from agarose gel.

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