Effect of some vegetable extracts on mutagenicity of nitrite treated standard mutagen and beef extract using ames test

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the antimutagenicity of chloroform and ethanol extract of vegetables, namely Pak Chee Lao (Anethum graveolens Linn), Pak Ka Yang(Limnophila aromatica Merr), Pak Pai(Polygonum odoratum Lour), Pak Gud(Diplazium esculentum Retz.) and Pak Krad HuaWan(Spilanthes acmella Murr) on mutagenicity of nitrite treated 1-aminopyrene and nitrite treated beef extract on Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. Both chloroform and ethanol extracts of all vegetables showed antimutagenicity against nitrite treated 1-aminopyrene, except ethanol extract of Pak Gud. On nitrite treated beef extract, chloroform and ethanol extracts of Pak Ka Yang and Pak Pai showed antimutagenicity on S. typhimurium TA100, but only chloroform extract of Pak Pai showed antimutagenicity on S. typhimurium TA98. However, chloroform extract of Pak Chee Lao, Pak Gud and Pak Krad Hua Wan and ethanol extract of five vegetables enhanced mutagenicity of nitrite treated beef extract in S. typhimurium TA98. This evidence might be due to some substances in sample extracts such as chlorophyll, flavonoids and terpenoids inhibiting enzyme nitroreductase or O-acetyltransferase in the bacterial cell, modifying the permeability of mutagen across bacterial membranes and/or complex formation between vegetable extracts and a mutagen. This suggested that daily consumption of various types of vegetable in appropriate amount could reduce the risk of the gastric cancer.