Toxic and mutagenic properties of extracts from Tunisian traditional medicinal plants investigated by the neutral red uptake, VITOTOX and alkaline comet assays

Abstract

We investigated the genotoxic properties of a number of extracts from Tunisian traditional medicinal plants with the bacterial VITOTOX test in Salmonella typhimurium and the alkaline comet assay in human C3A cells. Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from Marrubium alysson L. and Retama raetam (Forsk.) Webb and methanol extracts from Peganum harmala L. were investigated. Toxicity was furthermore studied with the neutral red uptake test that served for dose-finding. All extracts showed antigenotoxic properties against 4-nitroquinoline-oxide (4-NQO) and benzo(α)pyrene in the VITOTOX test, except the methanol extracts from R. raetam where antigenotoxicity was not found against the mutagen 4-NQO (in the absence of S9). The ethyl acetate extract from R. raetam was found mutagenic with the VITOTOX test in the absence of S9, whereas both ethylacetate and methanol extracts of M. alysson L. induced DNA damage according to the alkaline comet assay in C3A cells.