Antioxidants in aqueous extract of Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) suppress mitosis and cyclophosphamide-induced chromosomal aberrations in Allium cepa L. cells

Abstract

Abstract:In this study, freeze-dried water extract from the leaves of Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) was tested for mutagenic and antimutagenic potentials using the Allium cepa assay. Freeze-dried water extract alone and its combination with cyclophosphamide (CP) (50 mg/kg) were separately dissolved in tap water at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg. Onions (A. cepa) were suspended in the solutions and controls for 48 h in the dark. Root tips were prepared for microscopic evaluation. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals' scavenging power of the extract was tested using butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as standards. Water extract of Myristica fragrans scavenged free radicals better than BHA, but worse than BHT. The extract alone, as well as in combination with CP suppressed cell division, and induced chromosomal aberrations that were insignificantly different from the negative control (P≤0.05). However, cytotoxic and mutagenic actions of CP were considerably suppressed. The observed effects on cell division and chromosomes of A. cepa may be principally connected to the antioxidant properties of the extract. The obtained results suggest mitodepressive and antimutagenic potentials of water extract of the leaves of M. fragrans as desirable properties of a promising anticancer agent.

Plant Extracts and Plant-Derived Compounds: Promising Players in Countermeasure Strategy Against Radiological Exposure: A Review

“…A significant (p<0.01 and <0.001) increase in reduced glutathione (GSH, the vital biological defence molecule against oxidative damage) in liver was reported in this study, in comparison to radiation alone group at day 1, 3, 7, 15 and 30 following irradiation. Some of the recent works (Akinboro et al, 2011;Piaru et al, 2012) further supported the antioxidant property of nutmeg.…”

Genotoxic potential of leaf extracts of Jatropha gossypiifolia L.

“…The flavonoids in EE may also be associated with these adverse effects on the cells. On the other hand, in AE the reduction in MI seems to have been caused by synergism of flavonoids and/or saponins, as observed in Myristica fragrans (Akinboro et al, 2011). Studies of cytotoxicity and inhibition of topoisomerase II have been previously reported for diterpenes, 1 Negative control.…”

ISOLATION OF ESSENSIAL OIL OF NUTMEG (Myristica fragrans Houtt) and ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY TEST WITH DPPH

“…Antioxidants are compounds that can inhibit the rate of oxidation or neutralize free radicals. All of these radicals have in common that have one or more unpaired electrons and potentially cause damage to living cells [10]. These unpaired electrons cause free radicals to be highly reactive compounds to the cells of the body by binding to electrons of cell molecules.…”