Antioxidative and antimutagenic activities of 70% ethanol extract from masou salmon (Oncorhynchus masou).

The masou salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) is a commercially important Pacific salmon species found in Eastern Asian countries such as Korea and Japan. Here, the antioxidative and antimutagenic activities of a 70% ethanol extract from masou salmon (MSE) caught in South Korea was investigated. Folin-Ciocalteu's procedure was used to show the total phenol content of MSE was 3.6+/-0.2 mg/g. Free radical scavenging activity testing using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay system revealed that MSE had considerable antioxidant activity. MSE also had strong reducing power. The Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test employing histidine mutants of the Salmonella typhimurium tester stains TA98 and TA100 was used to examine the mutagenicity of MSE. No mutagenic activity was observed for either test strains at all doses (0.25-25.0 mg/plate). The same test was used to examine the ability of MSE to prevent the acquisition of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO)- and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced mutations. MSE inhibited mutagenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings provide scientific evidence for the safe use and health benefits of MSE.