## 3 Results and Discussion
### Genotoxicity and Cytotoxicity Biomarkers
#### 3.2.3 Chromosomal Aberrations as Radioprotection Biomarkers
The radio protective activity of this component depends on its antioxidant and free radical scavenging property. Other studies also described that AA was radio-protective in reducing radiation-induced skin excisions in Swiss albino mice exposed to gamma radiation, and also increased their wound healing [53]. On the other hand, the radioprotective effect of phenolics may be mediated through several mechanisms besides free radical scavenging, such as improvements in the antioxidant state and anti-lipid per \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l} \hline
**Conditions** & **N** & **Dic** & **Y\({}_{\text{Dic}}\)** \\ \hline
0 & 200 & 63 & 0.315 \(\pm\) 0.037 \\
0 + methanol/water 70:30 & 175 & 24 & 0.137 \(\pm\) 0.027 \\ \hline KD 50 & 200 & 23 & 0.115 \(\pm\) 0.024 \\ KD 400 & 197 & 17 & 0.086 \(\pm\) 0.020 \(\ast\) \\ KD 800 & 201 & 16 & 0.080 \(\pm\) 0.019 \(\ast\) \\ \hline SD 50 & 240 & 29 & 0.121 \(\pm\) 0.022 \\ SD 400 & 175 & 20 & 0.114 \(\pm\) 0.025 \\ SD 800 & 200 & 23 & 0.115 \(\pm\) 0.023 \\ \hline \end{tabular} N, number of analysed cells; Dic, dicentric chromosomes; Y\({}_{\text{Dic}}\), frequencies of dicentric chromosomes \(\pm\) standard errors. \(\ast\) The difference in Y\({}_{\text{Dic}}\) was statistically significant (\(p<0.05\)).  
\end{table} 
Table 4: Chromosomal aberrations in human lymphocytes exposed to a radiation dose of 2 Gy under different conditions: pre-treated with methanol/water (70:30 \(v/v\)) solvent and pre-treated with varying concentrations of kiwifruit (KD) and strawberry (SD) extracts (50, 400, and 800 \(\upmu\)g/mL). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l l l l} \hline
**Conditions** & **N** & **Dic** & **0 Dic (1)** & **1 DIC (1)** & **2 DIC (1)** & **3 DIC (1)** & **DI** & **U** \\ \hline
0 & 200 & 63 & 137 & 51 & 6 & 0 & 0.87 & \(-\)1.30 \\
0 + methanol/water 70:30 & 175 & 24 & 151 & 22 & 1 & 0 & 0.95 & \(-\)0.47 \\ \hline KD 50 & 200 & 23 & 177 & 21 & 1 & 0 & 0.98 & \(-\)0.24 \\ KD 400 & 197 & 17 & 180 & 17 & 0 & 0 & 0.92 & \(-\)0.83 \\ KD 800 & 201 & 16 & 185 & 16 & 0 & 0 & 0.93 & \(-\)0.77 \\ \hline SD 50 & 240 & 29 & 211 & 27 & 1 & 0 & 0.95 & \(-\)0.54 \\ SD 400 & 175 & 20 & 155 & 18 & 1 & 0 & 0.99 & \(-\)0.09 \\ SD 800 & 200 & 23 & 177 & 23 & 0 & 0 & 0.89 & \(-\)1.13 \\ \hline \end{tabular} N: number of analysed cells; \({}^{(1)}\) number of cells with zero, one, two, or three dicentric chromosomes.  
\end{table} 
Table 5: Distribution of dicentric cells (Dic), dispersion index (DI), and normalised unit of this index (U) for each condition treatment with 2 Gy radiation. Samples were pre-treated with methanol/water (70:30 \(v/v\)) solvent and pre-treated with different concentrations of freeze-dried kiwifruit (KD) and strawberry (SD) extracts (50, 400, and 800 \(\upmu\)g/mL). oxidation potential. These biological properties are conferred due to the presence of a variety of phenolic hydroxyl groups linked to the ring structure. Some studies attribute the protective effect of flavonoids to their direct hydroxyl radical scavenging potency and thus behave like an endogenous enzyme [54]. Polyphenols, especially flavonoid glycosides and their derivatives, contain ketone groups conjugated to aromatic rings activated by electron donor constituents. This prevents energy transfer, reduces oxidative stress, and stabilises redox processing in cells. Polyphenols may up-regulate mRNAs of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase), thus mitigating the oxidative damage induced by ionising radiation. Up-regulation of DNA repair genes and inhibition of nitric oxide may also protect against radiation-induced DNA damage [55]. Although the mechanisms of radioprotection differ among groups, most compounds act primarily via scavenging of radiation-induced free radicals or by quenching of secondary biomolecular reactive species [53]. Regarding SD, it was observed that Y\({}_{\text{Dic}}\) was reduced but did not present a significant difference (\(p>0.05\)) compared to the methanol/water control.