Mutagenic activity of Mintostachys mollis in AHH1 lymphoblast cells.

Cultured AHH1 human lymphoblast cells were exposed to an extract of Mintostachys mollis, which is used as a medicinal plant and preservative in Peru, to detect its mutagenic activity. A three-day exposure to concentrations of 1, 10, 30 and 50 micrograms/ml resulted in induced mutant fraction of 1.02, 1.79, 2.21 and 3.80 mutations per million cells per day, expressed as 6-Thioguanine resistance. A concentration of 10 micrograms/ml induced 11.9 times the spontaneous mutant fraction of AHH1 cells. The doubling dose determined to be 838 ng/ml. A concentration of 30 micrograms/ml of this compound resembled the induced rate of 1 microM benzo (alpha) pryene.