Evaluation of photo-induced cellular damage using photoautotrophic cultures of puk-bung hairy roots as a sensing tool.

In photoautotrophic cultures of pak-bung hairy roots, strong light irradiation (22 W/m(2)) increased the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells, resulting in chlorophyll (Chl) degradation and DNA injury. The Chl degradation rate, R(D), can be used as a parameter to measure the cellular damage caused by photo-induced stress. The presence of the antioxidants ascorbic acid, chlorogenic acid or catechin reduced the R(D), while lowering the content of ROS and moderating the DNA injury. Copyright 2009 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.