Abstract
The plants can be a source of compounds that prevent UV-induced DNA damage involved in the genesis of skin cancer and aging. This work was aimed to evaluated the safety and the antigenotoxic effect of Rosa centifolia flower ethanolic extract and of selected flavonoid constituents against UVB radiation in MRC-5 human fibroblasts. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the phytochemicals were evaluated using trypan blue exclusion and Comet assays, respectively. The assays revealed that R. centifolia extract, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-glucoside, and quercetin exhibited cytotoxic effects at concentrations of 363 μg/mL, 393 μM, 379 μM, and 141.1 μM, respectively. Additionally, R. centifolia extract and quercetin demonstrated genotoxic effects at the highest tested concentrations. The antigenotoxic effects of R. centifolia extract, kaempferol, and kaempferol-3-glucoside against UVB radiation were subsequently evaluated. These phytochemicals significantly reduced UVB-induced DNA damage in human fibroblasts at noncytotoxic concentrations. Therefore, these compounds represent promising candidates for sunscreen formulations for human photoprotection.