Abstract
Potato is among the foods we consume frequently in our daily life. The harmful effects of consuming sprouted potatoes on our health are mentioned. Sprouted potato contains higher levels of glycoalkaloids, which can have toxic effects in humans and animals. Discarding the sprouts, skin and green parts from tubers may help reduce risk of toxicity. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the flesh part of the sprouted potato has genotoxic and apoptotic effects. Phenolic compounds were determined by HPLC method in sprouted and unsprouted potato extracts. The genotoxicity and apoptosis effects of sprouted and unsprouted potato extracts at various concentrations were investigated in human peripheral lymphocytes by comet assay and DNA ladder assay. The phenolic compounds of chlorogenic acid, vanilin, caffeic acid and o-coumaric acid were detected at a higher level in the sprouted potato than in the unsprouted potato, while only p-hydroxybenzoic acid was determined at a lower level. As a result of our research, we detect that the sprouted potato extract did not cause statistically significant DNA damage in human lymphocytes (p > 0.05), and we could not detect DNA fragment images of human peripheral lymphocytes in the DNA ladder assay. It was concluded that consuming sprouted potatoes (flesh part) by discarding the sprouts, eyes, green skin, and bruised parts may help reduce the glycoalkaloid-induced genotoxicity and apoptosis.
