Taurine and ellagic acid: two differently-acting natural antioxidants.

Naturally occurring antimutagenic compounds are extensively analyzed for their capacity to protect cells from induced damage. We selected two agents, taurine and ellagic acid, treated in the literature as antioxidants, but whose activity is insufficiently known. This paper reports on the ability of these agents to act against damage induced by mitomycin-C and hydrogen peroxide in Chinese hamster ovary cells cultivated in vitro. Cytogenetic and cytofluorimetric analyses were performed. Ellagic acid proved to have more than one mechanism of action, probably as a scavenger of oxygen species produced by H2O2 treatment, and as a protector of the DNA double helix from alkylating agent injury. In our experimental conditions, taurine seems able to scavenge oxygen species.