Relevance of apple consumption for protection against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide in human lymphocytes

In a single-dosing crossover study, we investigated the ability of apple fruit consumption to protect human lymphocytes against peroxide-induced damage to DNA. Six healthy, non-smoking male volunteers were placed for 2 d on an antioxidant-poor (AP) diet. After 48 h of AP diet, the volunteers were required to consume a homogenate obtained from 600 g of red delicious unpeeled apples or water (500 ml); blood samples were collected 0, 3, 6 and 24 h post-consumption. To evaluate whether the apple intake was sufficient to restore resistance of DNA to oxidative damage, for each subject at any time point the plasma total antioxidant activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and induction of micronuclei (MN) in isolated lymphocytes following hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment were measured. Results indicated a significant inhibition (58 %, P