ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baccharis trimera (Less.) (Asteraceae) is a native plant from Brazil. Also known as "carqueja", it is popularly used to treat liver diseases, diabetes, as well as digestive disorders, mainly by women with lower socioeconomic status. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo genotoxic/antigenotoxic and mutagenic potential of this plant, using the comet and the micronucleus assays. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Female adult mice were treated with 500, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg of B. trimera aqueous extract (Bt-AE) by gavage for three consecutive days. RESULTS: Independently of the dose, no genotoxic effect was observed in blood and liver samples analyzed by the comet assay. Conversely, B. trimera showed an antigenotoxic effect in blood from treated mice, thus protecting cells against oxidative DNA damage induced by the ex vivo treatment with hydrogen peroxide. In addition, Bt-AE showed in vitro antioxidant activity, assessed by DPPH and xanthine oxidase assays, suggesting that the observed antigenotoxic effects might be related to its antioxidant properties. CONCLUSIONS: However, the extract increased the frequency of micronucleus in bone marrow of treated mice, indicating a chromosomal mutagenic activity. Thus, medicines prepared from this plant should be used with caution, although the results also suggest antigenotoxic effects for B. trimera aqueous extract.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baccharis trimera (Less.) (Asteraceae) is a native plant from Brazil. Also known as "carqueja", it is popularly used to treat liver diseases, diabetes, as well as digestive disorders, mainly by women with lower socioeconomic status. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo genotoxic/antigenotoxic and mutagenic potential of this plant, using the comet and the micronucleus assays. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Female adult mice were treated with 500, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg of B. trimera aqueous extract (Bt-AE) by gavage for three consecutive days. RESULTS: Independently of the dose, no genotoxic effect was observed in blood and liver samples analyzed by the comet assay. Conversely, B. trimera showed an antigenotoxic effect in blood from treated mice, thus protecting cells against oxidative DNA damage induced by the ex vivo treatment with hydrogen peroxide. In addition, Bt-AE showed in vitro antioxidant activity, assessed by DPPH and xanthine oxidase assays, suggesting that the observed antigenotoxic effects might be related to its antioxidant properties. CONCLUSIONS: However, the extract increased the frequency of micronucleus in bone marrow of treated mice, indicating a chromosomal mutagenic activity. Thus, medicines prepared from this plant should be used with caution, although the results also suggest antigenotoxic effects for B. trimera aqueous extract.
Authors: Marcela Silva Dos Santos; Juliana da Silva; Ana Paula Simões Menezes; Francisco Maikon Corrêa de Barros; Maria Luisa Brodt Lemes; Raíssa R Rossatto; Cleverson Feistel; Indara Dedigo de Almeida; Ivana Grivicich; Lismare Prado; Jaqueline Nascimento Picada; Alexandre de Barros Falcão Ferraz Journal: Oxid Med Cell Longev Date: 2018-08-19 Impact factor: 6.543
Authors: Franciny Aparecida Paiva; Larissa de Freitas Bonomo; Patrícia Ferreira Boasquivis; Igor Thadeu Borges Raposo de Paula; Joyce Ferreira da Costa Guerra; Wagney Mendes Leal; Marcelo Eustáquio Silva; Maria Lúcia Pedrosa; Riva de Paula Oliveira Journal: Oxid Med Cell Longev Date: 2015-07-07 Impact factor: 6.543