title: Evaluation of apigenin using in vitro cytochalasin blocked micronucleus assay.
abstract: High doses of flavonoids are reported to be clastogenic in contrast to their potential to reduce oxidative DNA damage, retard growth of leukemia cells, obstruct cell signal transduction and induce cellular differentiation in cancers. In the present study, we evaluated apigenin, a plant-derived flavonoid in doses of 10, 33, and 100 microM per 5 ml culture using cytochalasin-B blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assay in peripheral human lymphocytes. Apigenin was found to induce micronuclei in a dose dependent manner indicating potential genotoxic hazard in humans. Hence, flavonoids may act as mutagen, pro-oxidant or as inhibitor of key enzymes to produce clastogenic effects depending upon the levels consumed as well as the physiological parameters.
authors.affiliation: Genotoxicity Laboratory, Division of Toxicology, Central Drug Research Institute, M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noel
authors.forename: Madhu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasinathan
authors.forename: Srikanta Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rath
mesh_terms: D047310:Apigenin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048749:Cytokinesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000139:chemically induced; D015162:Micronucleus Tests / Q000379:methods*; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D003571:Cytochalasin B; D016685:Mitomycin; D047310:Apigenin