Antimutagenic effects of lichen Pseudovernia furfuracea (L.) Zoph. extracts against the mutagenicity of aflatoxin B1 in vitro.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of methanol, acetone, n-hexane and ether extracts obtained from Pseudovernia furfuracea on genotoxicity and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in cultured human blood cells intoxicated with aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)). Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) tests were used for genotoxic influences estimation. In both the test systems, it was observed that P. furfuracea extracts suppressed the mutagenic effects of AFB(1) due to the type of extracts added to the cultures. Furthermore, a significant reduction in plasma TAC was observed after AFB(1) treatment. Interestingly, the methanol and acetone extracts of the lichen recovered AFB(1)-induced TAC inhibition. The order of extracts of anti-genotoxicity efficacy against AFB(1) was methanol, acetone, ether and n-hexane, respectively. In conclusion, P. furfuracea has been shown to modulate the adverse effects of AFB(1) in human blood cells for the first time.