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Lack of modulatory effect
of asparagus, tomato, and grape juice on cyclophosphamide-induced
genotoxicity in mice
Asita Okorie Asita*, Mann E.
Dingann and Sibusisiwe Magama
Department
of Biology, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180
Maseru, Lesotho, South Africa.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
ao.asita@nul.ls. Tel:
+266 22213171. Fax: +266 22 340000.
Accepted
18 August, 2008 |
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Studies on agents that modulate carcinogen-induced genotoxic
effects in experimental animals are used to assess the
antimutagenic or anticarcinogenic properties of putative
chemopreventive compounds. We investigated the potency of
asparagus-, tomato- and red grape-juice to modify the
proportion of polychromatic erythrocyte (PCE) and frequency
of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) induced
by cyclophosphamide (CP) in male NIH mice. Groups of five
mice were given the fruit juices (25, 50 or 100%)
respectively, ad libitum, for 44 days then
intraperitoneally (ip) injected with 40 mg/kg CP and
killed 24 h later for cytological preparations and analysis.
The control group animals were injected with CP (positive)
or purified water (negative). Each group mean of the
proportion of PCE and frequency of MNPCE was compared with
the negative and positive control using the Mann-Whitney
test. No statistically significant difference was found
between the proportion of PCE in any experimental group and
the negative control (P<0.05), suggesting that CP treatment
alone or CP following pre-treatment with any of the plant
juice did not induce erythropoietic cell toxicity. Also,
pre-treatment with the plant juices did not modify the
frequency of CP-induced MNPCE in this mouse strain using the
present route of administration and treatment regime.
Key words:
Asparagus, tomato, grape, micronucleus, cyclophosphamide,
ant-mutagenicity. |
