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Abstract
Eight polyherbal products sold in Malaysia were tested for mycoflora and the extracts analyzed for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A. Fungal count was low (less than 400 cfu/g) in all samples. Aspergillus. spp. were isolated from all samples, but none of the isolates was mycotoxigenic. Other fungi isolated were Eurotium. spp., Cladosporium. spp., Scopulariopsis. spp., Phialophora. spp., Fonseceae. spp., Penicillium. spp. and Paecilomyces. spp. Only one product was contaminated with mycotoxin: ochratoxin A. The herbal extracts were also tested for cytotoxicity on human cell lines Hep2 and HFL1 using the MTT assay. All extracts were cytotoxic to both cell lines at a concentration of 500 µg/ml. Four extracts were cytotoxic to both cells at 50 µg/ml but showed varying effects at 5 µg/ml. Five products, including those that were cytotoxic, interacted positively with DNA using the DNA–methylgreen assay. In vitro. cytotoxicity tests showed that half of the products were cytotoxic and interacted with DNA.