Evaluation of the genotoxic potential of the Hypericum brasiliense (Guttiferae) extract in mammalian cell system in vivo

• Main Authors: Anderson Victorino Espósito, Danielli Maria Vieira Pereira, Leandro Machado Rocha, José Carlos Tavares Carvalho, Edson Luis Maistro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Genética 2005-03-01
• Series: Genetics and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Hypericum brasiliense; micronucleus test; chromosome aberrations
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572005000100026

Plants of the genus Hypericum, long used in folk medicine, contain active compounds which present, anti-septic, diuretic, digestive, expectorant, vermifugal, anti-depressive and other properties. The possible clastogenic effect of a H. brasiliense extract was tested in vivo on the bone marrow cells of Wistar rats. The extract was administered by gavage at doses of 50, 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight. Experimental and control animals were submitted to euthanasia 24 h after the treatment for micronucleus (MN) and chromosome preparations. H. brasiliense extract did not induce statistically significant increases in the average numbers of MN or chromosome aberrations in the test systems employed.