title: Antigenotoxic effect of extract from Cynara cardunculus L.
abstract: The extract of artichoke Cynara cardunculus L. (CCE) was investigated for its potential antigenotoxic and antioxidant effects using four experimental model systems. In the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutagenicity/antimutagenicity assay, CCE significantly reduced the frequency of 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide-induced revertants at the ilv1 locus and mitotic gene convertants at the trp5 locus in the diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae tester strain D7. In the simultaneous toxicity and clastogenicity/anticlastogenicity assay, it exerted an anticlastogenic effect against N-nitroso-N'-methylurea-induced clastogenicity in the plant species Vicia sativa L. On the contrary, despite CCE not being mutagenic itself, in the preincubation Ames assay with metabolic activation, it significantly increased the mutagenic effect of 2-aminofluorene in the bacterial strain Salmonella typhimurium TA98. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, CCE exhibited considerable antioxidant activity. The SC50 value representing 0.0054% CCE corresponds to an antioxidant activity of 216.8 microm ascorbic acid which was used as a reference compound. Although the mechanism of CCE action still remains to be elucidated, different possible mechanisms are probably involved in the CCE antigenotoxic effects. It could be concluded that CCE is of particular interest as a suitable candidate for an effective chemopreventive agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynska dolina, B-1, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miadokova
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nadova
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vlckova
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Duhova
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kopaskova
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cipak
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rauko
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mucaji
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grancai
mesh_terms: D015112:4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031942:Cynara / Q000737:chemistry*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D033022:Vicia sativa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005449:Fluorenes; D010936:Plant Extracts; C012177:2-aminofluorene; D015112:4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide