The antimutagenic potential of Vanillin and Betulin based on the antimutagenicity of Resveratrol

Abstract

Due to daily exposure to several compounds with mutagenic potential, it is extremely important to find antimutagenic agents, as here proposed to vanillin and betulin found in Dipteryx alata plant, evaluated by the Salmonella/microsome assay and resveratrol as reference. The antimutagenicity test employs mutagens that are incubated with a test substance to assess the inhibitory ability of the mutagenicity, interpreted as absent, moderate, or strong when the percentage of inhibition is lower than 25%; between 25 – 40% or greater than 40%, respectively. The assays were carried out in the absence (-S9) and in the presence (+S9) of metabolic activation using conventional mutagens for TA97a, TA98, TA100 and TA102. Resveratrol strongly inhibited all mutagens from -S9 and +S9. Vanillin moderately inhibited the mutagen of TA97a (-S9), and strongly for all strains in +S9. Betulin moderately inhibited mutagen from TA97a (-S9), strongly for TA100 and TA102 (-S9), and all strains in +S9. The obtained results were all concentration dependent. Concluding, this is an unprecedented study in which all mutagens commonly used in the Salmonella/microsome assay were tested to attribute antimutagenic abilities – from moderate to strong - to vanillin and betulin face to resveratrol, a strong antimutagen.