Evaluation of the Mutagenic Potential of a Water-Ethanolic Extract of Pothomorphe umbellata (Piperaceae) Aerial Parts on Wistar Rats Cells by the Comet and Micronucleus Assay

Abstract

Natural products from flora have been largely used in popular medicine for centuries. The development of tests to measure mutagenic activity of chemicals has been helpful to increase security and safety of different compounds, including natural products. The present study was carried out to evaluate the mutagenic effects of a water-ethanolic crude extract obtained from Pothomophe umbellata aerial parts on Rattus norvegicus cells in vivo, using the comet (SCGE) and micronucleus (MN) assay. Animals were treated orally with three different concentrations of the extract (500, 1000 and 1500 mg/ kg) and sacrificed 24 hours after treatments. The results have shown that the extract of P. umbellata did not induce statistically significant increases in the average numbers of DNA damage in hepatic cells and MN in bone marrow cells. However, a significant increase of DNA damage in peripheral blood cells has been noticed.

Piper umbellatum L.: A comparative cross-cultural analysis of its medicinal uses and an ethnopharmacological evaluation

“…Chartol (1964) also described an effective action of P. umbellatum as an insecticide, but of the essential oil from the leaves. Andrade et al (2005) evaluated the mutagenic potential of the water-ethanolic extract (70%) of the aerial parts. The extract was given orally to Wistar rats at concentrations of 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg.…”

Evaluation of genotoxicity of Euphorbia triaculeata Forssk. extract on mice bone marrow cells in vivo

“…The results have shown that the extract of P. umbellata did not induce statistically significant increases in the average numbers of DNA damage in hepatic cells and MN in bone marrow cells. However, a significant increase of DNA damage in peripheral blood cells has been noticed [ 44 ]. dos Santos et al [ 45 ] performed a study to evaluate the in vitro genotoxic effects of aqueous extract of P. angulata using the comet assay and the micronucleus assay in human lymphocytes provided from 6 healthy donors.…”