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Mutagenic, antimutagenic and antioxidant potency of leaf extracts from Nitraria retusa

Jihed Boubaker1, Ines Skandrani, Ines Bouhlel

  • 1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Rue Avicenne, Monastir 5000, Tunisia.

Food and Chemical Toxicology : an International Journal Published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
|June 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Nitraria retusa leaf extracts demonstrated antimutagenic properties against DNA damage induced by oxidants. Chloroform and methanol extracts showed significant protection, indicating potential therapeutic applications.

Area of Science:

  • Phytochemistry
  • Toxicology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Nitrarai retusa is a plant with potential medicinal properties.
  • Oxidative stress and DNA damage are implicated in various diseases.
  • Assessing plant extracts for antimutagenic and antioxidant activities is crucial for drug discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the antimutagenic potential of Nitraria retusa leaf extracts against oxidant-induced mutations.
  • To determine the antioxidant capacity of these extracts by assessing their ability to protect plasmid DNA from oxidative damage.

Main Methods:

  • Preparation of four leaf extracts (methanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, hexane) from Nitraria retusa.
  • Bacterial reverse mutation assay using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA102 and TA104 to assess mutagenicity and antimutagenicity.
  • Plasmid DNA protection assay against hydroxyl radical-induced strand scission to evaluate antioxidant activity.
  • Ferric reducing/antioxidant assay (FRAA) to quantify antioxidant capacity.

Main Results:

  • Nitraria retusa leaf extracts showed no inherent mutagenicity.
  • Chloroform and methanol extracts exhibited significant protection against methyl methanesulfonate-induced mutagenicity.
  • Hexane and chloroform extracts effectively reduced 2-aminoanthracene-induced mutagenicity.
  • Chloroform extract demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity, protecting plasmid DNA from hydroxyl radical damage and showing a high ferric reducing antioxidant power.

Conclusions:

  • Nitraria retusa leaf extracts possess significant antimutagenic and antioxidant properties.
  • The chloroform extract is particularly promising due to its potent DNA protective and antioxidant effects.
  • These findings support the traditional use of Nitraria retusa and suggest its potential as a source of natural chemopreventive agents.

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