Effect of Brassica nigra on benzo[a]pyrene mutagenicity

Male rats were given diets containing Brassica nigra (mustard seed) powder at 0, 1, 5 or 10% for 1 month and then exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P. 1 mg by ip injection). The antimutagenic effect due to mustard was assessed by testing the urine of rats fed diets with and without mustard. There was a significant (P < 0.001) reduction in reversion frequency of the TA98 and TA100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium in mustard-fed groups. This protective effect was seen with all three doses of mustard. The study demonstrated that mustard (Brassica nigra) can be a potent antagonist of the adverse biological effects of the ultimate metabolites of B[a]P, a ubiquitous environmental genotoxicant.