Amelioration of Acrolein‐Induced Cytotoxicity, Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Human Pancreas Cells by Pycnogenol

Acrolein (AC) is a potential environmental contaminant that poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. Studies on human diseases that can result from AC have rapidly increased in recent years. Pycnogenol (PYC), a natural phenolic compound, has therapeutic and protective potential against some cancers. Currently, there is insufficient data on the potential effects of AC and PYC on pancreatic cells or on their interaction. Because toxicological effects of AC and interactions between AC and PYC in human pancreatic cells have not yet been investigated, we evaluated the toxicological profile of AC and possible protective effect of PYC on healthy human pancreatic cells (hTERT‐HPNE). Our results showed that AC (25, 50, and 100 µM) increased cytotoxicity and oxidative stress, induced apoptosis and DNA single‐ and double‐strand breaks, whereas it decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and antioxidant parameters in human pancreatic cells. Combined treatments with AC and PYC (100 µg/mL) improved these parameters compared to AC treatment alone. Therefore, our results suggest that PYC may have a protective effect against AC‐induced damage. Our results may also be particularly important for identifying the factors involved in the pathogenesis of mitochondrial diseases, which have rapidly increased in recent years, and for providing preventive solutions.