Antimutagenic Effect of Medicinal Plants from Alternative Medicine

Aqueous extracts of Chirayita (Swertia chirayita Linn.) whole herb, Banafshah (Viola odorata Linn.) leaves and flowers and Mameeran (Coptis teeta Roxb.) rhizome were tested for their anti-mutagenic potential by Ames Salmonella Histidine point mutation assay of Maron, et al. with partial modifications as described by Kaur, et al. At a dose of 50 μg/plate, crude drug extracts exhibited the inhibition of His+ revert ants from 36.59% to 96% against direct acting mutagen sodium azide (NaN3) which induced mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA97a, TA98 and TA100. However, at concentrations (5 and 25 µg/ plate) of the plant extracts, a significant decrease in anti-mutagenic activity was recorded. In the present findings, herbal drug extracts at tested concentrations showed no sign of mutagenicity to the tester strains. Potent anti-mutagenic activity of Banafshah was observed followed by Chirayita and Mameeran. Linear regression analysis of the data shows dose dependent anti-mutagenic activity of the extracts. Qualitative analysis reveals the presence of active phytochemical as amarogentin, mangiferin (Chirayita), Cyclotides (Banafshah), Berberine (Mameeran) along with other phyto-constituents flavonoids, phenols in the tested extracts which are responsible for their anti-mutagenic activity.