Antioxidant and antigenotoxic potencies of Sempervivum armenum on human lymphocytes in vitro

In this research, the genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of methanol extract of Sempervivum armenum (MSA) were studied using micronucleus (MN) test and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) test systems in cultured human peripheral blood cells. According to the SCE and MN tests results, MSA reduced the genotoxic effects of aflatoxin B₁. In order to explain the reason for the antigenotoxic effects of MSA, antioxidants levels were determined. Cotreatments of 5, 10, 20 mg/mL concentrations of MSA with aflatoxin B₁ decreased the frequencies of SCE, MN and the malondialdehyde level and increased the amount of superoxide dismutase, glutathione and glutathione peroxidase which were decreased by aflatoxin. The results of this experiment showed that MSA has strong antioxidative and antigenotoxic effects and this antigenotoxic activities of MSA can be due to the antioxidant activities.