Impact of delphinidin on the maintenance of DNA integrity in human colon carcinoma cells

Delphinidin has been found to possess DNA strand-breaking properties in cell culture. In the present study, we demonstrated that the extent of DNA damage by delphinidin is not affected by the expression of tyrosyl-DNA-phosphodiesterase 1, indicating that the induction of DNA strand breaks is not predominantly topoisomerase-mediated. However, the DNA-damaging properties of delphinidin were decreased by the addition of catalase to the cell culture medium, counteracting delphinidin-mediated hydrogen peroxide formation. Under these conditions, delphinidin showed clearly antioxidative properties in HT29 cells, preventing menadione-induced oxidative DNA damage. In contrast, in the absence of catalase, delphinidin lacked antioxidative properties. In conclusion, delphinidin acted as an effective antioxidant within intact cells if the formation of hydrogen peroxide was prevented. In the absence of catalase, the accumulated hydrogen peroxide appears to play a substantial role for the observed DNA-damaging properties of delphinidin and the apparent lack of antioxidative properties of this anthocyanidin.