Sepsis, often initiated by an
infection, is a state of disrupted inflammatory homeostasis. There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress has an important role in the development of
sepsis-induced multiorgan failure.
Resveratrol (RV) is a polyphenolic compound found in the skin of red fruits, such as mulberries and red grapes, and in peanuts. RV has been reported to have an
antioxidant, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory properties in various models. It has also been found to inhibit the proliferation of a variety of human
cancer cell lines, including breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, and thyroid. This study has been undertaken to assess the role of RV on the
sepsis-induced oxidative DNA damage in the lymphocytes of Wistar albino rats by the standard and
formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg)-modified comet assays. The parameters of tail length, tail intensity, and tail moment were evaluated for the determination of DNA damage. According to the study, the DNA damage was found to be significantly higher in the
sepsis-induced rats when compared with the control rats (p < 0.05). The parameters were significantly decreased in the RV-treated
sepsis-induced group when compared with the
sepsis-induced group. The parameters in the
sepsis-induced rats were found to be significantly higher in the Fpg-modified comet assay when compared with the standard comet assay (p < 0.05), and RV treatment decreases the DNA damage in the
sepsis-induced rats, suggesting that the oxidative stress is likely to be responsible for DNA damage and RV might have a role in the prevention of
sepsis-induced oxidative DNA damage.