Abstract
Background and Objective: Traditional use of herbal medicinal plants in Saudi Arabia is common and in particular in Al-Baha region either in rural or urban areas for treatment of several ailments and no reports have been found about the mutagenicity of Saudi medicinal plants. Here we investigated the mutagenic/genotoxic effects of four herbal plants methanolic extracts namely, Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera, Jatropha spp and Ricinus communis, using the Ames test Methodology: For assessment of the mutagenicity of these four plants, we used the bacterial reverse mutagenicity assay (Ames test) without any metabolic activation system. The plants methanolic extract concentrations used were 0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/ml. Results: Low concentrations of the extracts (0.1 mg/ml) of the four plants were found to be non-mutagenic (p < 0.05), while only the extracts of Aloe vera and Jatropha were found to be mutagenic in the second concentration (1.0 mg/ml). Meanwhile, Acalypha fruticosa extract at 1.0 mg/ml was found to be non-mutagenic and Ricinu communis was found to be cytotoxic at this concentration. At the concentration of 5.0 mg/ml the three extracts (Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera, Jatropha ) were mutagenic. Conclusion: Only higher concentrations, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/ml extracts of the herbal plants Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera and Jatropha, were found to be mutagenic/genotoxic in the reverse bacterial mutagenicity Ames test.
Highlights
Cancer-related and cancer deaths are increasing worldwide as reported by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) in 2012, in which14 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related death has been recorded (Ferlay et al 2013).Lifestyles and environmental factors represent the causes of 30% of cancer deaths and herbal preparations are among the possible causes of these death cases
This study reports for the first time, the genotoxicity of herbal plants methanolic extracts growing in Al-Baha region and used in traditional medicine
0.1 mg/ml of the four plants extracts (Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera, Jatropha and Ricinus communis) were found to be non-mutagenic in the absence of S-9 metabolic activation as the numbers of positive wells in the treated plates were not statistically different from the results obtained in the background plate, in contrast at 1.0 mg/ml, the methanolic extracts of Aloe vera and Jatropha were shown to be significantly different (p < 0.05) compared to the background non-treated plat
Summary
Cancer-related and cancer deaths are increasing worldwide as reported by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) in 2012, in which million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related death has been recorded (Ferlay et al 2013).Lifestyles and environmental factors represent the causes of 30% of cancer deaths and herbal preparations are among the possible causes of these death cases. Traditional use of herbal medicinal plants in Saudi Arabia is common and in particular in Al-Baha region either in rural or urban areas for treatment of several ailments and no reports have been found about the mutagenicity of Saudi medicinal plants. We investigated the mutagenic/genotoxic effects of four herbal plants methanolic extracts namely, Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera, Jatropha spp and Ricinus communis, using the Ames test Methodology: For assessment of the mutagenicity of these four plants, we used the medicine. Acalypha fruticosa extract at 1.0 mg/ml was found to be non-mutagenic and Ricinu communis was found to be cytotoxic at this concentration. At the concentration of 5.0 mg/ml the three extracts (Acalypha fruticosa, Aloe vera, Jatropha ) were mutagenic. Conclusion: Only higher concentrations, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/ml extracts of the herbal plants
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