[Genotoxicity study of Cortex Fraxini decoction].

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Genetics

Background:

• Cortex Fraxini is a traditional herbal medicine.
• Assessing the genotoxicity of herbal decoctions is crucial for safety.
• Understanding the genotoxic potential of Cortex Fraxini decoction is important for its therapeutic use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genotoxicity of Cortex Fraxini decoction using in vitro and in vivo assays.
• To determine if Cortex Fraxini decoction causes gene mutations or chromosome damage.
• To evaluate the role of metabolic activation in the genotoxicity of Cortex Fraxini decoction.

Main Methods:

• Mouse lymphoma assay (MLA) was employed to assess gene mutation frequency and small colony mutants.
• Mouse bone marrow micronucleus test (MNT) was used to evaluate chromosome damage in vivo.
• Tests were conducted with and without metabolic activation to assess the influence of metabolic processes.

Main Results:

• In MLA, Cortex Fraxini decoction induced a dose-dependent increase in total mutation frequency and percentage of small colony mutants in the absence of metabolic activation.
• No significant increase in mutation frequency was observed in MLA with metabolic activation.
• In MNT, Cortex Fraxini decoction did not induce significant chromosome damage in mouse bone marrow.

Conclusions:

• Cortex Fraxini decoction exhibits genotoxicity in vitro, causing tk(+/-) gene mutation and chromosome damage in L5178Y cells without metabolic activation.
• The study suggests the presence of direct mutagens in Cortex Fraxini decoction.
• Cortex Fraxini decoction does not show genotoxicity in vivo in mouse bone marrow under the tested conditions, indicating a lack of genotoxic effect with metabolic activation.