Genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity evaluation of non-photoactivated hypericin.
The potential genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of non-photoactivated hypericin was investigated in five experimental models. Hypericin was non-mutagenic in the Ames assay, with and without metabolic activation. It did not exert a protective effect against mutagenicity induced by 9-aminoacridine. In a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) assay, hypericin did not increase the frequency of mitotic crossovers or total aberrants at the ade(2) locus, the number of convertants at the trp5 locus, or the number of revertants at the ilv1 locus. In combined application with 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, it significantly enhanced the number of revertants at the ilv1 locus at the highest concentration used. Hypericin was not mutagenic in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. However, in combined application with methyl methane sulfonate, toxicity and mutagenicity were slightly reduced. In a chromosome aberration assay using three mammalian cell lines, hypericin did not alter the frequency of structural chromosome aberrations, and in the DPPH radical scavenging assay, it did not exert any antioxidant effects.
Miadokova
Eva
E
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynska dolina B1, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Chalupa
Ivan
I
Vlckova
Viera
V
Sevcovicova
Andrea
A
Nadova
Slavomira
S
Kopaskova
Marcela
M
Hercegova
Alena
A
Gasperova
Patricia
P
Alfoldiova
Lubica
L
Komjatiova
Monika
M
Csanyiova
Zuzana
Z
Galova
Eliska
E
Cellarova
Eva
E
Vlcek
Daniel
D
D000818:Animals; D000873:Anthracenes; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000187:drug effects; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000139:chemically induced; D006224:Cricetinae; D004249:DNA Damage; D006801:Humans; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D010569:Perylene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects
D000873:Anthracenes; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D010569:Perylene; C004965:hypericin