RESUMO
One approach to protect the human skin against harmful effects of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was to use natural products as photoprotectors. In this work, the extract from specie Phyllanthus orbicularis K was evaluated as a protective agent against the photodamage by UVB, UVA artificial lamps, and environmental sunlight exposure. The plasmid DNA solutions were exposed to radiations using the DNA dosimeter system in the presence of plant extract. The DNA repair enzymes, Escherichia coli Formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and T4 bacteriophage endonuclease V (T4-endo V), were employed to discriminate oxidized DNA damage and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), respectively. The supercoiled and relaxed forms of DNA were separated through electrophoretic migration in agarose gels. These DNA forms were quantified to determine strand break, representing the types of lesion levels. The results showed that, in the presence of P. orbicularis extract, the CPD and oxidative damage were reduced in irradiated DNA samples. The photoprotective effect of extract was more evident for UVB and sunlight radiation than for UVA. This work documented the UV absorbing properties of P. orbicularis aqueous extract and opened up new vistas in its characterization as protective agent against DNA damage induced by environmental sunlight radiation.