Abstract
Purpose: Bidens pilosa , Cleistopholis paterns , and Tetrapleura tetraptera are plants that are used traditionally for cancer treatment, as well as anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory agents in Africa. We used the Ames test to evaluate the bacterial reverse mutation effects in these plants. Methods: In the in vitro Ames test, Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98, TA 100, TA 1535, TA 1537 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA were used with or without metabolic activation by S9 mix. The highest concentration of B. pilosa, C. paterns, and T. tetraptera for the Ames test was established at 5000 µg/plate. Results: B. pilosa, C. paterns, and T. tetraptera did not cause any increase in the number of his+ revertant colonies compared to the negative control values obtained from S. typhimurium and S. typhimurium WP2uvrA strains, with or without the addition of S9 mixtures. The results indicated that these plants are non-mutagenic to all the five S. typhimurium and S. typhimurium test strains in the presence and absence of metabolic activation. Conclusion: B. pilosa, C. paterns, and T. tetraptera showed negative results in the bacterial reverse mutation test, suggesting that it is potentially safe to use them as medicinal plant supplements even at high doses.
Highlights
Traditional medicine is practised by a large proportion of the Nigerian population for their physical and psychological health needs [1]
The Ames test [15] along with S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537, and E. coli WP2uvrA was used for the assessment of the mutagenic activity of B. pilosa, C. paterns, and T. tetraptera in the presence or absence of metabolic activation with S9 fraction
B. pilosa, C. paterns, and T. tetraptera did not cause any increase in the number of his+ revertant colonies compared to the negative control values obtained from S. typhimurium and E. coli WP2uvrA strains, with or without the addition of S9 mixtures (Tables 2 - 4)
Summary
Traditional medicine is practised by a large proportion of the Nigerian population for their physical and psychological health needs [1]. B. pilosa was selected due to its wide distribution and popularity in recipes for the management of various diseases. It is distributed in almost all tropical and subtropical countries and is used in a variety of ailments including diabetes [5], inflammation [6], and hepatitis [7]. In contrast to B. pilosa, there are very few scientific reports on the effects of C. patens and T. tetraptera. These two plants are commonly found in tropical Africa, including Nigeria, and are widely used as a folk medicine. In Nigeria and some other West African countries, the nutritional, molluscidal, and other ethnomedical properties of extractives from T. tetraptera’s fruit have been reported [9,10]
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