Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and mutagenicity potential of ethanolic extract of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fischer

Abstract

Heracleum persicum is a traditional medicinal plant with several pharmaceutical and food applications. There is no well‐documented information regarding the safety profile of this plant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic, mutagenic, and cytotoxic potential of ethanolic extract of H. persicum (EEHP). The EEHP induced DNA damage at concentrations higher than 0.25 mg/mL. DNA damage index of the EEHP at dose of 10 mg/mL was 25 times greater than that in negative control. A dose dependent increase was found in tail moment by increasing the concentration of the extract. No statistically significant difference was seen in revertant Salmonella typhimurium colonies, with or without S9, between sub‐inhibitory concentrations of EEHP and negative control (p < 0.05). The results of the MTT assay revealed that treatment by different concentrations of EEHP caused 60 to 100% reduction in cell viability. The survival of the lymphocytes was negatively affected by EEHP concentrations higher than 1 mg/mL as evaluated by trypan blue assay. The results of this study showed genotoxicity and cytotoxicity potential of EEHP on human lymphocytes, effect of the EEHP exhibited in this work, further studies are needed to decide about the mutagenicity hazard of this medicinal plant. Practical applications Heracleum persicum is used as flavoring agent and for miscellaneous remedial purposes in Iranian traditional medicine. These widespread applications are based on the public belief that this plant is efficient and safe due to its traditional usage for long centuries. Besides many pharmacological properties, there is low information about the safety profile of this plant. The results of this study showed that ethanolic extract of H. persicum (EEHP) caused DNA damage on human lymphocytes. Furthermore, cytotoxicity of the EEHP on human lymphocytes was seen. According to these results, it is worthwhile to raise consumer awareness that excessive consumption of food and pharmaceutical preparations containing high concentrations of this plant may pose a health risk.

Cytoprotective, antimutagenic/antirecombinogenic and antibacterial properties of Lallemantia iberica extracts

“…In order to analyze in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, lymphocyte cultures were prepared in this study because they are regarded as the perfect model systems for these purposes 23,24 . Lymphocytes from healthy human blood samples were isolated using Ficoll‐Paque density gradient 25 .…”

“…The concentrations of L. iberica extracts were determined according to the previous study performed by Ari et al 22 Lymphocyte isolation and cell culture maintenance In order to analyze in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, lymphocyte cultures were prepared in this study because they are regarded as the perfect model systems for these purposes. 23,24 Lymphocytes from healthy human blood samples were isolated using Ficoll-Paque density gradient. 25 Then, the cells were dissolved in 5 mL RPMI 1640 medium prepared using 0.5 mL fetal bovine serum, 0.05 mL penicillin-streptomycin and 0.1 g L −1 phytohemagglutinin; cultures were kept at 37°C and 5% CO 2 .…”

“…It is known that the basic mechanisms of DNA damage are similar in many tissue types and the level of damage in lymphocytes may reflect those occurring in other tissues. 23,27 Therefore, the micronucleus assay was performed using healthy human lymphocytes according to Ari et al 22 At the 24th hour of incubation, the cells were exposed to the plant extracts and at the 44th hour cytochalasin B (6 μg mL −1 ) was added to block cytokinesis. No plant extract was applied to the negative control, while H 2 O 2 (6.5 mg L −1 ) was added to the positive control.…”

Seçilen Anadolu Bitki Türlerinin Antioksidan ve Anti-Büyüme Özellikleri: Heracleum humile, Doronicum reticulatum, Centaurea drabifolia ve Senecio olympicus'un Potansiyelini Keşfetme

“…with IC50 values of and 95.83 µg/ml, respectively (Maggi et al, 2014). Furthermore, it was discovered that treatment with the ethanolic extract of Heracleum persicum led to a 60% reduction in human lymphocyte viability at 250 µg/ml and resulted in DNA damage at the same concentration (Amani et al, 2019).…”