CELLULAR TOXICITY INDUCED BY ALCOHOL IN VITRO: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTIOXIDANT, HEPATOPROTECTIVE, ANTI-HEMOLYTIC AND DNA PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF NATURAL VS SYNTHETIC VITAMIN C

Alcohol-induced oxidative stress is a major contributor to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In this study short term alcohol induced cyto-toxicity model was used to simulate some attributes of ALD in vitro, producing hepatocellular injury, red cell (RBC) haemolysis and DNA damage. The antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-hemolytic and DNA protective efficacy of fresh Phyllanthus emblica (amla) juice, Citrus limon(lemon)juice, and synthetic vitamin C was compared. Antioxidant activity was assessed through ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays,hepatoprotective effects using goat hepatocytes exposed to ethanol(MTT assay and AST assay), membrane stabilization through RBC hemolysis assay and DNA protective potential through comet assay. Results demonstrated that both amla and lemon juice exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with efficacy broadly comparable to synthetic vitamin C. Amla juice extract showed slightly greater hepatoprotective, anti-hemolytic, and DNA protective activity, while lemon exhibited higher catalase-stabilizing effects. These findings suggest that fresh dietary intake of amla and lemon may serve as accessible, cost-effective alternatives to synthetic supplements for mitigating alcohol-induced oxidative damage. Further in vivo and clinical studies are recommended to validate their preventive and therapeutic potential in ALD management.