Detection of Irradiated Astragalus membranaeus Bunge and Havenia duzcis Thumb Using DNA Comet Assay

Ionizing radiation can be used to sanitize herbs contaminated by various microorganisms. However, health concerns related to irradiation damage to complex molecules in plants necessitate that methods be developed to monitor such damage. To elucidate DNA damage of herbs caused by irradiation, the DNA comet assay was used for Astragalus membranaceus Bunge and Havenia dulcis Thumb, irradiated at 1, 5, 7, and 10 kGy. With increasing irradiation doses, the tails of comets became longer with average tail length increasing from 17 (non-irradiated) to 124 (10 kGy) $\mu$m in Astragalus membranaceus Bunge. Above 7 kGy, some of the tails were separated from the heads of comets. Distribution patterns of the tail length of In comets selected randomly in the irradiated herbs were analyzed to quantify the DNA damage. These results clearly suggest that the DNA comet assay is an effective and inexpensive tool for the detection of irradiation damage to DNA in herbs.