title: Antigenotoxic activities of crude extracts from Acacia salicina leaves.
abstract: For centuries, plants have been used in traditional medicines and there has been recent interest in the chemopreventive properties of compounds derived from plants. In the present study, we investigated the effects of extracts of Acacia salicina leaves on the genotoxicity of benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) and nifuroxazide in the SOS Chromotest. Aqueous, total oligomers flavonoids (TOF)-enriched, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts were prepared from powdered Acacia leaves, and characterized qualitatively for the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and sterols. All the extracts significantly decreased the genotoxicity induced by 1 microg B(a)P (+S9) and 10 microg nifuroxazide (-S9). The TOF-enriched and methanol extracts decreased the SOS response induced by B(a)P to a greater extent, whereas the TOF-enriched and the ethyl acetate extracts exhibited increased activity against the SOS response produced by nifuroxazide. In addition, the aqueous, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts showed increased activity in scavenging the 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, while 100-300 microg/ml of all the test extracts were active in inhibiting O2-production in a xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. In contrast, only the petroleum ether extract was effective at inhibiting nitroblue tetrazolium reduction by the superoxide radical in a nonenzymatic O2- -generating system. The present study indicates that extracts of A. salicina leaves are a significant source of compounds with antigenotoxic and antioxidant activity (most likely phenolic compounds and sterols), and thus may be useful for chemoprevention.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Pharmacognosie/Biologie Moléculaire "degrees 99/UR/07-03degrees". Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir. Rue Avicenne, 5000 Monastir, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Hédi B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Jihed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boubaker
authors.forename: Inès
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bouhlel
authors.forename: Amor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernillon
authors.forename: Jemni B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Chibani
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ghedira
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chekir-Ghedira
mesh_terms: D000045:Acacia / Q000737:chemistry*; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates / Q000633:toxicity; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009581:Nitrofurans / Q000633:toxicity; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D013014:SOS Response, Genetics / Q000187:drug effects; D013261:Sterols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013634:Tannins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates; D009581:Nitrofurans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013261:Sterols; D013634:Tannins; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; C013150:nifuroxazide