title: Research on biomodulatory effect of natural compounds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether the extract isolated from the artichoke Cynara cardunculus L. (ECC) had antimutagenic effect and was able to enhance the therapeutic effect of cytostatic drug cis-platinum (cis-Pt).
  
  
  METHODS
  The potential antimutagenic activity of ECC was assayed by a test on sex-linked recessive lethal mutations detection in Drosophila melanogaster males treated with ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS). The possible enhancement of cytostatic/cytotoxic effect of cis-Pt by ECC was evaluated in the cell revitalization assay by measuring cell viability via Trypan blue exclusive assay using mouse leukemia cells L1210.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EMS was both toxic and genotoxic in D. melanogaster males. It statistically significantly increased the frequency of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations in comparison to the negative control. Furthermore, ECC statistically significantly reduced the genotoxic effect of EMS. It acted in a desmutagenic manner via EMS inactivation. In the cell revitalization assay, ECC enhanced the cytotoxic/cytostatic effect of cis-Pt. The therapeutic potential of ECC was established on the basis of statistically significantly lowered recovery of cis-Pt pre-treated mouse leukemia cells in the presence of ECC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results imply that the extract isolated from artichoke C. cardunculus L. has marked beneficial activities antimutagenic and therapeutic effect enhancing) and its potential biomedical application in the combination therapy of cancer and some neurodegenerative diseases may be suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. miadokova@fns.uniba.sk
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miadoková
authors.forename: Slavomíra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nadová
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trebatická
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grolmus
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kopásková
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rauko
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mucaji
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grancai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031943:Cynara scolymus / Q000737:chemistry*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002945:Cisplatin