title: Comparative Studies of the (Anti) Mutagenicity of Baccharis dracunculifolia and Artepillin C by the Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test.
abstract: Baccharis dracunculifolia is a plant native from Brazil, commonly known as 'Alecrim-do-campo' and 'Vassoura' and used in alternative medicine for the treatment of inflammation, hepatic disorders and stomach ulcers. Previous studies reported that artepillin C (ArtC, 3-{4-hydroxy-3,5-di(3-methyl-2-butenyl)phenyl}-2(E)-propenoic acid), is the main compound of interest in the leaves. This study was undertaken to assess the mutagenic effect of the ethyl acetate extract of B. dracunculifolia leaves (Bd-EAE: 11.4-182.8 µg/plate) and ArtC (0.69-10.99 µg/plate) by the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA97a, TA100 and TA102, and to compare the protective effects of Bd-EAE and ArtC against the mutagenicity of a variety of direct and indirect acting mutagens such as 4-nitro-O-phenylenediamine, sodium azide, mitomycin C, benzo[a]pyrene, aflatoxin B1,  2-aminoanthracene and 2-aminofluorene.The mutagenicity test showed that Bd-EAE and ArtC did not induce an increase in the number of revertant colonies indicating absence of mutagenic activity. ArtC showed a similar antimutagenic effect to that of Bd-EAE in some strains of S. typhimurium, demonstrating that the antimutagenic activity of Bd-EAE can be partially attributed to ArtC. The present results showed that the protective effect of whole plant extracts is due to the combined and synergistic effects of a complex mixture of phytochemicals, the total activity of which may result in health benefits.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho,14801-902, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Aparecida
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Resende
authors.forename: Carla Carolina
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Munari
authors.forename: Moacir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Azevedo Bentes Monteiro Neto
authors.forename: Denise Crispim
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Jairo Kenupp
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Ademar Alves
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: da Silva Filho
authors.forename: Eliana Aparecida
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Varanda
mesh_terms: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031175:Baccharis / Q000737:chemistry*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000494:pharmacology; D010666:Phenylpropionates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D009153:Mutagens; D010666:Phenylpropionates; D010936:Plant Extracts; C102259:artepillin C