Antimutagenic effect of dioscorea pentaphylla on genotoxic effect induced by methyl methanesulfonate in the Drosophila wing spot test.

OBJECTIVE

Plants as dietary sources are known to have several chemoprotective agents. Dioscorea pentaphylla is an important medicinal plant, which is often used as edible food. This study was undertaken to evaluate the antigenotoxic potential of D. pentaphylla extracts on the genotoxic effect induced by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in the Drosophila wing spot test.

METHODS

The somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) was carried out in Drosophila melanogaster. In transheterogyous larvae, multiple wing hair (mwh 3-0.3) and flare (flr3-38.8) genes were used as markers of the extent of mutagenicity.

RESULTS

It was observed thatall the three extracts (petroleum ether, choloroform, and ethyl alcohol) in the combined treatment had significantly inhibited the effect of MMS-induced genotoxic effects. When compared to others, the ethanol extract showed a very significant antimutagenic activity.

CONCLUSIONS

The compounds that are present in the extracts may directly interact with the methyl radical groups of MMS and inactivate them by chemical reaction. It is also possible that the compounds in the extract compete to interact with the nucleophilic sites in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), thus altering the binding of the mutagen to these sites. Although our results indicate that the compounds present in the extracts may directly interact with the methyl radical groups of MMS and inactivate them by chemical reaction, it may also be quite interesting to investigate through the other different mechanisms by which D. pentaphylla could interfere in vivo on the effect of genotoxic agents.