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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Ecological genetics</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Ecological genetics</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Экологическая генетика</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">1811-0932</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">2411-9202</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Eco-Vector</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">691226</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.17816/ecogen691226</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">JDRUXB</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>Genetic toxicology</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Генетическая токсикология</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en"><italic>In vivo</italic> antigenotoxicity of apigenin, naringenin, and hesperetin: tissue-specific effects</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Антигенотоксическая активность апигенина, нарингенина и гесперетина <italic>in vivo</italic>: тканеспецифичность эффектов</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7673-8672</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">7070-0510</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Zhanataev</surname><given-names>Aliy K.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Жанатаев</surname><given-names>Алий Курманович</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Cand. Sci. (Biology)</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>канд. биол. наук</p></bio><email>zhanataev_ak@academpharm.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7542-5658</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">1527-6283</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Anisina</surname><given-names>Elena A.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Анисина</surname><given-names>Елена Александровна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><email>anisina_ea@academpharm.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6959-2150</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">6504-1831</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Kulakova</surname><given-names>Alla V.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Кулакова</surname><given-names>Алла Владимировна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Cand. Sci. (Biology)</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>канд. биол. наук</p></bio><email>kulakova_av@academpharm.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0912-7684</contrib-id><contrib-id contrib-id-type="spin">8426-0380</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Durnev</surname><given-names>Andrey D.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Дурнев</surname><given-names>Андрей Дмитриевич</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="en"><p>MD, Dr. Sci. (Medicine), Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences</p></bio><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>д-р мед. наук, профессор, академик РАН</p></bio><email>durnev_ad@academpharm.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Federal Research Center for Innovator and Emerging Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Федеральный исследовательский центр оригинальных и перспективных биомедицинских и фармацевтических технологий</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="preprint" iso-8601-date="2025-11-17" publication-format="electronic"><day>17</day><month>11</month><year>2025</year></pub-date><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2026-02-09" publication-format="electronic"><day>09</day><month>02</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>23</volume><issue>4</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>351</fpage><lpage>360</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2025-09-23"><day>23</day><month>09</month><year>2025</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2025-11-17"><day>17</day><month>11</month><year>2025</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2025, Eco-Vector</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2025, Эко-Вектор</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2025</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Eco-Vector</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Эко-Вектор</copyright-holder><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.eco-vector.com/ecolgenet/article/view/691226">https://journals.eco-vector.com/ecolgenet/article/view/691226</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p><bold>BACKGROUND:</bold> Experimental data on tissue-specific effects and antigenotoxic potential facilitate more targeted practical applications of antigenotoxicants.</p> <p><bold>AIM:</bold> This work aimed to assess the tissue-specific antigenotoxic activity of the natural flavonoids apigenin, naringenin, and hesperetin against the DNA-damaging effects of temozolomide and the cytogenetic effects of genotoxicants with various mechanisms of action.</p> <p><bold>METHODS:</bold> The genotoxicants (temozolomide 50 mg/kg, cyclophosphamide 20 mg/kg, methyl methanesulfonate 80 mg/kg, and dioxydin 250 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally to mice. Before genotoxicant injections, three oral doses of apigenin (5, 25, and 50 mg/kg) and naringenin and hesperetin (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) were given. In a separate experiment, apigenin was administered one hour after temozolomide injection. The study used a comet assay in bone marrow, liver, kidney, brain, and rectum cells, as well as chromosome aberration analysis in bone marrow cells.</p> <p><bold>RESULTS:</bold> Apigenin decreased temozolomide-induced DNA damage in the bone marrow (52%–66%), liver (31%–65%), kidneys (50%), and rectum (100%), but not in the brain. All apigenin doses reduced kidney levels of atypical DNA comets. Naringenin demonstrated antigenotoxic activity by reducing DNA damage in the bone marrow (48%–62%), brain (26%–44%), and rectum (49%–54%), but not in the liver or kidneys. Hesperetin showed antigenotoxic effects in the bone marrow (23%), kidneys (29%–33%), brain (23%–42%), and rectum (32%–47%). In a cytogenetic assay, apigenin, naringenin, and hesperetin dose-dependently reduced the effects of temozolomide by 49%–73%, 49%–75%, and 39%–55%, respectively. In the post-treatment mode, apigenin 5–50 mg/kg reduced the effects of temozolomide by 47%–51%. Apigenin 5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg markedly reduced the cytogenetic effects of dioxydin, while apigenin 25 mg/kg decreased those of cyclophosphamide and methyl methanesulfonate. Naringenin 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg reduced the effect of cyclophosphamide (43%–71%), but not dioxydin.</p> <p><bold>CONCLUSION:</bold> Apigenin, naringenin, and hesperetin show tissue-specific antigenotoxic activity against the effects of temozolomide. Apigenin and naringenin reduce the cytogenetic effects of genotoxicants with various mechanisms of damaging action. The findings highlight the potential of the investigated flavonoids as genome-protecting agents with a possible targeted action.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p><bold>Обоснование.</bold> Экспериментальные сведения о тканеспецифичности и спектре антигенотоксической активности позволяют более адресно определить области практического применения антигенотоксикантов.</p> <p><bold>Цель исследования.</bold> Оценить тканеспецифичность антигенотоксической активности природных флавоноидов апигенина, нарингенина и гесперетина по отношению к повреждающим ДНК эффектам темозоломида и цитогенетическим эффектам генотоксикантов с различными механизмами действия.</p> <p><bold>Методы.</bold> Генотоксиканты темозоломид (50 мг/кг), циклофосфамид (20 мг/кг), метилметансульфонат (80 мг/кг) и диоксидин (250 мг/кг) вводили мышам внутрибрюшинно. Апигенин в дозах 5, 25 и 50 мг/кг, нарингенин и гесперетин в дозах 25, 50 и 100 мг/кг вводили трехкратно перорально перед инъекцией генотоксикантов. В отдельном эксперименте апигенин вводили через 1 ч после инъекции темозоломида. Исследование проводили с использованием метода ДНК-комет в клетках костного мозга, печени, почек, головного мозга и прямой кишки и методом учета хромосомных аберраций в клетках костного мозга.</p> <p><bold>Результаты.</bold> Апигенин снижал индуцируемую темозоломидом поврежденность ДНК в костном мозге (52–66%), печени (31–65%), почках (50%) и прямой кишке (100%), но не в головном мозге. Во всех использованных дозах апигенин уменьшал уровень атипичных ДНК-комет в почках. Нарингенин проявил антигенотоксическое действие, снижая поврежденность ДНК в костном мозге (48–62%), головном мозге (26–44%), прямой кишке (49–54%), но не в печени и почках. Антигенотоксичность гесперетина наблюдалась в костном мозге (23%), почках (29–33%), головном мозге (23–42%) и прямой кишке (32–47%). В цитогенетическом исследовании апигенин в зависимости от дозы редуцировал эффект темозоломида на 49–73%, нарингенин на 49–75% и гесперетин на 39–55%. В режиме постобработки апигенин (в дозе 5–50 мг/кг) редуцировал эффекты темозоломида на 47–51%. Апигенин в дозах 5 и 25 мг/кг значимо снижал цитогенетические эффекты диоксидина, а в дозе 25 мг/кг — циклофосфамида и метилметансульфоната. Нарингенин (50 и 100 мг/кг) редуцировал эффект циклофосфамида (43–71%), но не диоксидина.</p> <p><bold>Заключение.</bold> Апигенин, нарингенин и гесперетин обладают тканеспецифичной антигенотоксической активностью по отношению к эффектам темозоломида. Для апигенина и нарингенина установлена способность снижать цитогенетические эффекты генотоксикантов с различными механизмами повреждающего действия. Полученные данные определяют перспективность разработки исследованных флавоноидов в качестве средств защиты генома, в том числе таргетного действия.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>apigenin</kwd><kwd>naringenin</kwd><kwd>hesperetin</kwd><kwd>DNA comets</kwd><kwd>chromosome aberrations</kwd><kwd>temozolomide</kwd><kwd>cyclophosphamide</kwd><kwd>methyl methanesulfonate</kwd><kwd>dioxydin</kwd><kwd>mice</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>апигенин</kwd><kwd>нарингенин</kwd><kwd>гесперетин</kwd><kwd>ДНК-кометы</kwd><kwd>хромосомные аберрации</kwd><kwd>темозоломид</kwd><kwd>циклофосфамид</kwd><kwd>метилметансульфонат</kwd><kwd>диоксидин</kwd><kwd>мыши</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group><award-group><funding-source><institution-wrap><institution xml:lang="ru">Министерство науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации</institution></institution-wrap><institution-wrap><institution xml:lang="en">Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation</institution></institution-wrap></funding-source><award-id>FGFG-2025-0003</award-id></award-group><funding-statement xml:lang="en">This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation as part of the state-funded research program (Project/Theme No. FGFG-2025-0003)</funding-statement><funding-statement xml:lang="ru">Работа выполнена при финансовой поддержке Министерства науки и высшего образования РФ в рамках финансирования государственного задания по теме № FGFG-2025-0003</funding-statement></funding-group></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Durnev AD, Zhanataev AK, Eremina NV. 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