Abstract
In the Mesolithic, birch-bark tar was commonly utilized across Europe and much of Asia as an adhesive to bind, seal and coat surfaces, but also quite frequently it was found to be chewed. The tar is known to contain biomarker triterpenoid compounds like betulin, crucial in preserving food and for medical applications. Aqueous, ethanolic and DMSO extracts were prepared from solid birch-bark tar and evaluated in vitro for the induction of DNA damage using Comet, micronucleus and sister-chromatid-exchange assays. Additionally, apoptosis induction was assessed. For the ethanolic extract, only the Comet assay showed a significant increase of DNA damage. All three extracts were able to significantly induce apoptosis. Thus, birch-bark tar seems capable of inducing genotoxic damage as well as apoptotic effects possibly originating from the triterpenoids’ antimicrobial properties. We examine why prehistoric tar is found with tooth marks, the beneficial effects of birch-bark tar, and evidence for increased genotoxic risk upon exposure.
Highlights
Birch-bark tar has long been known as an adhesive
Using the alkaline Comet assay we investigated the DNA damage generated in vitro in lymphocytes based on seven experiments with lymphocytes from seven volunteers
The extent of the DNA damage on a single-cell level as seen in the Comet assay was described by the Olive tail moment (OTM) parameter
Summary
Birch-bark tar has long been known as an adhesive. Dating back to the Middle Palaeolithic period, pieces of birch-bark tar were found in a lignite open-mining pit near Königsaue, Germany, being made by Neanderthal hunter-gatherers around 48,000 years before present (BP) (radiocarbon dating) (Grünberg, 2002) and possibly as early as 80,000 BP (geo-stratigraphic dating) (Koller et al, 2001). Birch-bark tar was made by the Fisher Lapps in Inari in the same way they recover tar from pine They dug a hole on the side of a hill; the bark was rolled up to form a pipe and filled with more bark and resinous wood. Among the Inari-Lapps the elderly tend to have better teeth than younger Lapps and their teeth may be much worn, they seem to have suffered very little from tooth disease They suggest it is because they chew [birch] bark, which keeps their teeth in good condition (Itkonen, 1984). Birch bark will be boiled until the water turns red and has a very strong taste It is mixed with sugar before being taken. This is the explanation for the value of willow bark, which is used in a large number of remedies, but, research has shown that it is the occurrence of salicylic acid in the bark
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