en تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research <span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><b>Background and Objective:</b> Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a prominent bioactive compound with diverse pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the potential protective effects of CGA against methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-induced genotoxicity in the spleen of male BALB/c mice.</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><b>Methods:</b> A total of 36 male BALB/c mice were randomly allocated to six experimental groups (n=6 per group). The control group received normal saline (NS; 1 mL/kg) daily for seven consecutive days. The second group received NS (1 mL/kg) for seven days, followed by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of MMS (10 mg/kg) one hour after the last NS administration. The third group was treated with CGA (40 mg/kg/day) alone for seven days. The fourth, fifth, and sixth groups were pretreated with CGA at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg/day, respectively, for seven days; on day 7, one hour after the final CGA dose, each of these groups received a single i.p. injection of MMS (10 mg/kg). Approximately 3 h after MMS injection, all mice were humanely euthanized (ketamine/xylazine), and spleen tissues were collected for subsequent histopathological and biochemical analyses.</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><b>Results:</b> MMS treatment significantly increased DNA damage in spleen cells, as indicated by the comet assay, and this genotoxic effect was accompanied by elevated caspase-3/7 activities. Pretreatment with CGA attenuated MMS-induced DNA damage, with reduced DNA migration observed at 10 mg/kg (<i>P</i><0.05) and 20 mg/kg (<i>P</i><0.001) CGA doses. CGA also markedly decreased caspase-3/7 activity in spleen tissue at all tested doses. These biochemical findings were supported by histopathological analysis, which showed preservation of normal splenic architecture in the CGA-pretreated groups against MMS-induced damage.</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><b>Conclusion:</b> This study demonstrates that CGA protects against MMS-induced genotoxicity in murine spleen tissue. CGA pre-treatment significantly reduced DNA damage and suppressed caspase-3/7 activity, indicating an inhibitory effect on MMS-induced apoptosis. These findings highlight the chemoprotective potential of CGA against genotoxic chemicals.</span></span></span><br> <br> &nbsp; Chlorogenic acid, Comet assay, Genotoxicity, Methyl methanesulfonate 76 82 http://ajpr1.umsha.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-2-24&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mohammad Hossein Pazandeh 1003194753284600149 1003194753284600149 No Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Ali Mohammad Ahadi 1003194753284600150 1003194753284600150 No Department of Genetics, College of Science, University of Shahrekord, Shahrekord, Iran. Monir Doudi 1003194753284600151 1003194753284600151 No Department of Microbiology, Fal. C Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Amir Nili-Ahmadabadi a.niliahmadabadi@umsha.ac.ir 1003194753284600152 1003194753284600152 Yes Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.