• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.237-246
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Capsaicin-containing (CP) pharmacopuncture was developed to treat neuropathic pain. This study was conducted to assess the toxicity of CP extract for pharmacopuncture, using a micronucleus test. Methods: First, a dose range finding study was conducted. Then an in vivo micronucleus test was performed to determine the induction of micronuclei in mouse bone marrow cells after intramuscular administration of CP twice with a 24-hour interval to 8-week-old ICR mice. A high dose of 0.2 mL/animal was selected, and this was sequentially diluted by applying a geometric ratio of 2 to produce two lower dose levels (0.1 and 0.05 mL/animal). In addition, negative and positive control groups were set up, and an HPLC analysis was conducted to confirm the capsaicin content of CP. Results: The incidence of micro-nucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in polychromatic erythrocytes in the CP-treated group was similar to that in the negative-control group, while that in the positive-control group was significantly greater. In addition, the ratio of polychromatic erythrocytes to total erythrocytes in the CP treatment group and the positive control group was not significantly different from the negative control group. In the HPLC analysis, capsaicin in the CP was identified through a comparison with the retention time of the capsaicin standard of 27 min. Conclusion: CP did not show any indication of any potential to induce micronuclei formation in bone marrow cells of ICR mice under the conditions of this study. Further toxicity studies are necessary to ensure the safety of the use of CP in clinical practice.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.138-144
• /
• 2024

Crocin is a major carotenoid of the Gardenia jasminoides fruit and Crocus sativus stigma (saffron), which are used in various cuisines as flavoring and coloring agents, as well as in phytomedicine for the treatment of several disorders, including headache, fever, edema, fatty liver, viral hepatitis, respiratory disease, menstruation disorders, insomnia, and hypertension. Crocin (C₄₄H₆₄O₂₄) is a chemical diester composed of the dicarboxylic acid crocetin and disaccharide gentiobiose. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have been conducted about the biological and pharmacological function and toxicity of crocin. Crocin has been revealed to have no genotoxicity and pathological manifestation. Crocin acts as an antioxidant, anti-cancer, memory enhancer, anxiolytic, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, anti-atherosclerotic, cardioprotector, and hepatoprotector. Here, an inclusive review of crocin is introduced based on previously explored studies referred to in the literature. Different studies have confirmed the protective role of crocin in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases, gastritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression. It is surmised that crocin suppresses inflammatory, antioxidant, and apoptotic processes through multiple mechanisms. Crocin is considered a safe and effective therapeutic choice for patients with inflammatory conditions, although more research investigating its mechanisms and results acquired in clinical trials are needed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.219-225
• /
• 2014

Azadirachta indica extract (AIE) has been regarded as a promising source of environment-friendly organic materials owing to their low mammalian toxicity. However, quite a bit of research has been reported that AIE may cause clastogens in human lymphocytes. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the antimutagenic and genotoxicity of two samples of AIE. Antimutagenic test was experimented by using bacterial reverse mutation test. In the bacterial reverse mutation test, five strains Salmonella Typhimurim of two samples of AIE in order to evaluate its mutagenic potential. Bacterial reverse mutation test was also performed on positive control and negative control groups in the presence of the metabolic activation system (S-9 mix) and metabolic non-activation system. In the chromosome aberration test, Chinese hamster lung cells were exposed to AIE for 6 or 24 h with BPS, or for 6 h with S-9 mix. Negative and positive control groups were experimented for chromosome aberration test. As a result, the number of mutated colonies induced by 4-NQO were reduced by AIE treatment in all strains, indicating that AIE may have antimutagenic effects. Bacterial reverse mutation and chromosomal aberration were not shown at all concentration of AIE, regardless of activation of the metabolic system. we concluded that two AIE samples used in this study have no genotoxic effects to human, according to the genotoxicity battery system suggested by ICH (International Conference on Harmonization).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.1137.2-1245
• /
• 2001

The ${\gamma}$-irradiated medicinal herbs were examined the genotoxicological safety to consider the possibility of application of the irradiation technology for hygienic purpose. The three medicinal herbs -Glycyrrhigae Radix, Aurantii nobilis Pericarpium and Bupleuri Radix- were irradiated with ${\gamma}$ -rays at the practical dosage of 10 kGy. The hot water extracts of the irradiated herbs were examined in two short-term in vitro tests: (1) Ames test in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, (2) Micronucleus test in cultured Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells. In the Salmonella reversion assays both with and without metabolic activation, the number of revertant colonies was not increased with each extract from the irradiated herbs, compared with negative controls. No significant difference in formation of the colonies was observed between non-irradiated and 10 kGy-irradiated herbs. These results indicated that no mutagenicity of the irradiated herbs was detected. In the micronucleus tests in cultured CHO cells, the incidences of micronucleus were not increased with irradiated herbs, and no significant difference in the incidences was observed between non-irradiated and irradiated herbs. These results indicated that no cytogenetic toxicity of the irradiated herbs was detected. The results of the two in vitro tests suggest that the irradiated herbs do not show mutagenic effects and cytogenetic toxicity. Further tests of in vivo genotoxicity and chronic toxicity are needed to determine the safety of the herbs irradiated with ${\gamma}$ -rays at practical doses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.516-523
• /
• 2015

This study investigated the antimutagenic and anticancer effects of Platycodon grandiflorum extract (PGE) and its fractions against carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and genotoxicity. The Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test employing histidine mutants of Salmonella Typhimurium TA98 and TA100 was used to examine the mutagenicity of PGE and its fractions. Bacterial reversion assay with S. Typhimurium TA98 and TA100 did not show a significantly increased number of revertant colonies. The same test was used to examine the ability of PGE and its fractions to prevent acquisition of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine- and 4-introquino-line-1-oxide-induced mutations. PGE and its fractions inhibited mutagenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Among the fractions, ethyl acetate fraction from PGE (PGEA) exhibited a higher antimutagenic effect than other fractions. PGE and its fractions suppressed the growth of cancer cell lines, including human cervical adenocarcinoma, human hepatocellular carcinoma, human breast adenocarcinoma, human lung carcinoma, and transformed primary human embryonic kidney cells. In addition, we evaluated the antitumor activity of PGEA and its fractions in sacorma-180 solid tumor-bearing mice. In vivo anticancer activity results showed that PGE and its fractions could more effectively suppress tumor growth than the control. PGEA showed higher in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects than PGE and other fractions, and PGEA inhibited NDMA formation. Thus, we showed that PGEA has antimutagenic and anticancer activities, making it a candidate anticancer material under these experimental conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.236-240
• /
• 2011

Mercury known as quicksilver, is the most common cause of heavy metal toxicity. Toxicity caused by excessive mercury exposure is now being recognized as a widespread environmental problem and is continuing to attract a great deal of public concerns. The mercury genotoxicity could be its effect on DNA repair mechanisms, which constitute the defense system designated to protect genome integrity. The objective of this study is to confirm that mercuric chloride inhibits the repair of gamma ray-induced DNA damage. The earthworm of Eisenia fetida was chosen for this study because it is an internationally accepted model species for toxicity testing with a cosmopolitan distribution. Experiments were done to identify the levels of DNA damage and the repair kinetics in the coelomocytes of E. fetida irradiated with 20 Gy gamma rays alone or with gamma rays after 40 mg $kg^{-1}$ $HgCl_2$ treatment by means of the single cell gel electrophoresis assay. The Olive tail moments were measured during 0~96 hours after irradiation. The repair time in the animals treated with the combination of $HgCl_2$ and ionizing radiation was nearly five times longer than that in the animals treated with ionizing radiation alone. Also, E. fetida exposed to mercury showed a statistically lower repair efficiency of gamma ray-induced DNA damage. The results suggest that the mercury could even have deleterious effects on the DNA repair system. Influence of mercury on the DNA repair mechanisms has been confirmed by this study.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.466-471
• /
• 2001

This study was. investigated the antigenotoxic effects of Aster scaber Thunb root extract on the mutagenesis induced by benzo($\alpha$)pyrene(B($\alpha$)P) The treatment with B($\alpha$ )P at 150 mg/kg significantly Increased the incidence of MNPCE(p<0.05) The amount of 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg of ethanol extract from Aster scaber were administered to animals immediately after injection of B($\alpha$)P. Significant reductions(p<0.05) with 24.5, 22.6, 59.8 and 79.4%. respectively, ware observed in the frequencies of MNPCE compared to positive control. When the fractions of hexane. chloroform, ethyl acetate. butanol and water from ethanol extract were treated with concentration of 10 mg/kg, the suppression rates of the MNPCE were 3.9, 35.3, 40.2 11.8 and 49.0%, respectively. And also, the strong suppression rate of the MNPCE treated with above five fractions in the concentration of 80 mg/kg showed 78.4, 65.7, 75.5, 68.6 and 77.5%, respectively compared to positive control. These results indicate that the five fractions in the concentration of 80 mg/kg from Aster scaber ethanol extract have a strong modulatory effect on B($\alpha$ )P induced the MNPCE.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.141-147
• /
• 2010

This study evaluated the antimicrobial effects of retort process and gamma irradiation on reduction of total bacterial populations in spicy chicken sauce, which is served on top of the steamed rice. Commercial spicy chicken sauce was treated with retort and gamma ray at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 kGy. Total aerobic bacterial populations were then enumerated on plate count agar and isolated bacteria from the test samples were identified using PCR analysis. Moreover, gamma ray sensitivity of identified bacteria was evaluated by $D_{10}$ values, and genotoxicity of gamma-irradiated samples was examined. Gamma irradiation at 3 kGy reduced total aerobic bacterial cell counts in spicy chicken sauce below detection limit, but total aerobic bacterial cell counts in test samples treated with retort were 2.1 log CFU/g. Identified bacteria from the samples were Bacillus subtilis, B. amyloiquefaciense, and B. pumils, and the $D_{10}$ values for B. subtilis and B. cereus were 0.39 ($R^2\;=\;0.921$) and 0.28 log CFU/g ($R^2\;=\;0.904$), respectively. The SOS chromotest showed that the gamma-irradiated spicy chicken sauce did not cause mutagenicity. These results indicate that gamma irradiation of spicy chicken sauce could be useful in ensuring microbial safety.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.111-120
• /
• 2003

The validation of many synthetic chemicals that may pose a genetic hazard in our environment is of great concern at present. Since these substances are not limited to the original products, and enter the environment, they have become widespread environmental pollutants, thus leading to a variety of chemicals that possibly threaten the public health. In this respect, the regulation and evaluation of the chemical hazard playa very important role to environment and human health. The clastogenicity of 17 synthetic chemicals was evaluated in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells in vitro. 2-Nitroaniline (CAS No. 88-74-4) induced chromosomal aberrations with statistical significance at the concentration of 86.3 ${\mu}$g/ml in the absence of metabolic activation system. 1-Chloroanthraquinone (CAS No. 82-44-0) which is one of the most cytotoxic chemical among 17 chemicals tested revealed no clastogenicity in the range of 0.8 ∼ 3.0 ${\mu}$g/ml both in the presence and absence of S-9 metabolic activation system. From the results of chromosomal aberration assay with 17 synthetic chemicals in Chinese hamster lung cells in vitro, 2-Nitroaniline (CAS No. 88-74-4) revealed weak positive clastogenic results in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.7
• /
• pp.853-857
• /
• 2008

To assess the clastogenic effects of the diglyceride preparation containing conjugated linoleic acid (DG+CLA) in vivo micronucleus test was performed using ICR mice. Each of the groups consisted of three doses of DG+CLA (500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg, p.o.), Mitomycin C (positive control, 2 mg/kg, i.p.) and negative control (olive oil, 10 mL/kg, p.o.). A slide preparation was made at 24 hours after 1st treatment with DG+CLA. As a result of counting the icronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MNPCE) of 2,000 polychromatic erythrocyte (PCE), the number of aberrant cells was not increased in any of the three doses of DG+CLA orally administered. There was no clinical sign connected with administration of DG+CLA. These results indicate that DG+CLA is not capable of inducing micronuclei in vivo mice cells and thus has no genotoxicity in micronucleus.