Genotoxic potentiality of aqueous extract prepared from Chrysobalanus icaco L. leaves

• Published in: Toxicology letters Vol. 151; no. 3; pp. 481 - 487
• Main Authors: Ferreira-Machado, S.C, Rodrigues, M.P, Nunes, A.P.M, Dantas, F.J.S, De Mattos, J.C.P, Silva, C.R, Moura, E.G, Bezerra, R.J.A.C, Caldeira-de-Araujo, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-08-2004; Amsterdam Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Antioxidants - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Chrysobalanaceae; Chrysobalanus icaco; DNA Damage; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; General aspects. Methods; Genotoxic potentiality; Medical sciences; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plant Leaves; Plasmid pUC 9.1; Plasmids - drug effects; Toxicology; Transformation, Bacterial - drug effects; Chrysobalanus icaco; Genotoxic potentiality; Escherichia coli; Plasmid pUC 9.1; Toxicity; Genotoxicity; Extract; Plant leaf; Plasmid; Aqueous medium; Plant origin; Bacteria; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0378-4274; 1879-3169
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2004.03.014

Plants have been related to our lives, being used as medicine, regardless of scientific evidence of side effects. This work analyses the toxicological effects of
Chrysobalanus icaco L. aqueous extract, used in different pathologies. It was studied through: (i) alteration of plasmid pUC 9.1 topology; (ii) survival of bacterial strains submitted, or not, to previous treatment with SnCl
2; (iii) transformation efficiency of
E. coli strain by the treatment with the plasmid pUC 9.1. In (i), the treatment of the plasmid resulted in DNA single-strand breaks (SSB). A decrease of the lethal effect induced by SnCl
2 in presence of the extract was found, while no
C. icaco bacterial survival reduction was observed. The transformation efficiency of the plasmid was also reduced. Results suggest that the extract could present a potential genotoxic effect, as demonstrated either by the induction of SSB in plasmid or in transformation efficiency experiments. Finally, it presents an antioxidant action.