In vivo assessment of antioxidant, antigenotoxic, and antimutagenic effects of bark ethanolic extract from Spondias purpurea L

ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants have always been used for therapeutic purposes; however, some plants may contain toxic and mutagenic substances. The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, antioxidant, antigenotoxic, and antimutagenic effects of the bark ethanolic extract of Spondias purpurea L. using male and female Swiss albino mice. To determine the protective effects of the extract, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and cyclophosphamide (CP) were selected as cell damage inducers. The extract was examined at doses of 500, 1000, or 1500 mg/kg body weight (BW)via gavage alone or concomitant with B[a]P or CP. Oxidative stress was measured by quantification of blood catalase activity (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in total blood, liver, and kidney, and concentrations of malondiadehyde (MDA) in liver and kidney. Genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity were evaluated by the comet assay using peripheral blood. Cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and antimutagenicity were determined utilizing the micronucleus test in bone marrow and peripheral blood. The S. purpurea L extract increased CAT activity and GSH levels accompanied by a decrease in MDA levels after treatment with B[a]P and CP. No genotoxic, cytotoxic, or mutagenic effects were found in mice exposed only to the extract. These results indicate that the extract of S. purpurea exhibited protective effects against oxidative and DNA damage induced by B[a]P and CP.

KEYWORDS:

• Spondias purpurea
• comet assay
• micronucleus test
• oxidative stress
• plant extract

Highlights

• Cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and protective effects of Spondias purpurea bark ethanolic extract were evaluated.

• No cytotoxic, genotoxic, nor mutagenic effects were found for this extract.

• This extract presented antioxidant, antigenotoxic, and antimutagenic effects against benzo[a]pyrene and cyclophosphamide-induced damage.

Acknowledgments

The authors greatfully acknowledge Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES/DS), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” and Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE) for the financial support, and Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA) for the use of its facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.