Evaluation of the genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of Melissa officinalis in mice

Melissa officinalis (L.) (Lamiaceae), a plant known as the lemon balm, is native to the east Mediterranean region and west Asia. Also found in tropical countries, such as Brazil, where it is popularly known as “erva-cidreira” or “melissa”, it is widely used in aqueous- or alcoholic-extract form in the treatment of various disorders. The aim was to investigate in vivo its antigenotoxicity and antimutagenicity, as well as its genotoxic/mutagenic potential through comet and micronucleus assaying. CF-1 male mice were treated with ethanolic (Mo-EE) (250 or 500 mg/kg) or aqueous (Mo-AE) (100 mg/kg) solutions of an M. officinalis extract for 2 weeks, prior to treatment with saline or Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) doses by intraperitoneal injection. Irrespective of the doses, no genotoxic or mutagenic effects were observed in blood and bone-marrow samples. Although Mo-EE exerted an antigenotoxic effect on the blood cells of mice treated with the alkylating agent (MMS) in all the doses, this was not so with Mo-AE. Micronucleus testing revealed the protector effect of Mo-EE, but only when administered at the highest dose. The implication that an ethanolic extract of M. officinalis has antigenotoxic/antimutagenic properties is an indication of its medicinal relevance

Evaluation of the mutagenic effect of the iodinated contrast medium Urografina^® 292 using the micronucleus test in mouse bone marrow cells

Contrast media (CM) are frequently used in diagnostic radiology and in radiotherapy as a diagnostic tool and in treatment planning. Previous studies have demonstrated that these compounds induce chromosomal aberrations. This study evaluates the mutagenic effects induced by the contrast medium Urografina&#174; 292 (meglumine amidotrizoate and sodium-ionic dimmer) in bone marrow cells (BMC) of mice in vivo. Micronuclei assay was performed in BMC of CF-1 mice injected with CM 1.5 and 3.0 mL/kg intravenous doses and 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mL/kg intraperitoneal doses. The animals were beheaded 24 h after treatment by cervical dislocation, and femur BMC from each animal were used in the micronucleus test. The group treated with the highest intravenous injection of Urografina&#174; 292 (3.0 mL/kg) presented an increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) in relation at the control group (P&#174; 292 may cause a significant increase of cytogenetic damage in bone marrow cells of mice.Meios de contraste (MC) s&#227;o freq&#252;entemente utilizados em radiodiagn&#243;stico e em radioterapia como uma ferramenta de diagn&#243;stico e em planejamento do tratamento. Estudos pr&#233;vios demonstraram que estes compostos induzem aberra&#231;&#245;es cromoss&#244;micas. Este estudo avaliou os efeitos mutag&#234;nicos induzidos pelo meio de contraste Urografina&#174; 292 (Amidotrizoate de meglumina e s&#243;dio-d&#237;mero i&#244;nico) em c&#233;lulas da medula &#243;ssea (BMC) de camundongos in vivo. Teste de micron&#250;cleos foi realizado em BMC de camundongos CF-1, injetados com MC intravenoso nas doses 1,5 e 3,0 mL/kg e intraperitonealmente nas doses 1,0, 2,0 e 3,0 mL/kg. Os animais foram decapitados 24 horas ap&#243;s o tratamento por deslocamento cervical, e as BMC dos f&#234;mures de cada animal foram utilizados no teste de micron&#250;cleos. O grupo tratado com inje&#231;&#227;o intravenosa mais elevada de Urografina&#174; 292 (3,0 mL/kg) apresentou um aumento na freq&#252;&#234;ncia de eritr&#243;citos policrom&#225;ticos micronucleados (MNPCEs) em rela&#231;&#227;o ao grupo controle (P&#174; 292 pode causar um aumento significativo de danos citogen&#233;ticos em c&#233;lulas da medula &#243;ssea de camundongos.</p

Elemental composition of vegetables cultivated over coal-mining waste

ABSTRACT We assessed elemental composition of the liver in mice subjected to one-time or chronic consumption of the juice of vegetables cultivated in a vegetable garden built over deposits of coal waste. Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce), Beta vulgaris L. (beet), Brassica oleracea L. var. italica (broccoli) and Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala (kale) were collected from the coal-mining area and from a certified organic farm (control). Elemental composition was analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method. Concentrations of Mg, S, and Ca of mice subjected to one-time consumption of broccoli and concentrations of these same elements plus Si of mice receiving kale were higher in the coal-mining area. Concentrations of P, K, and Cu were increase after chronic consumption of lettuce from the coal-mining area, whereas the levels of Si, P, K, Fe, and Zn were higher in the group consuming kale from the coal-mining area. Our data suggests that people consuming vegetables grown over coal wastes may ingest significant amounts of chemical elements that pose a risk to health, since these plants contain both essential and toxic metals in a wide range of concentrations, which can do more harm than good

Hibiscus acetosella extract protects against alkylating agent-induced DNA damage in mice

Abstract Hibiscus acetosella was shown to exert beneficial effects in humans and animal models however, the effects of this plant on DNA are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the antigenotoxic and antimutagenic effects of H. acetosella extracts on alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in vivo in mice. Initially, we performed analysis of phenolic compounds in extracts of H. acetosella by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Next, mice were divided into 8 groups and treated with distilled water or plant extract (0.1 ml/10 g) by gavage for 15 days, followed by intraperitoneal (ip) administration of saline solution or MMS (40 mg/Kg b.w) on day 16. Caffeic acid, following by gallic acid, gallocatechin, coumaric acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were found to be present in extracts of H. acetosella leaves. In peripheral blood analysis of groups receiving pretreatment with H. acetosella at doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg plus MMS decreased DNA damage as evidenced by comet assay and Micronucleus assays relative to MMS alone. These results suggested that H. acetosella extracts exerted protective effects dose dependent against genotoxicity and mutagenicity induced by alkylating agents