Genotoxicity studies of eugenia polyantha leaf extract / Rita Bayang

Eugenia polyantha (EP), family Myrthaceae, is widely distributed in South East Asia and is used as a food flavouring which contains flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. Numerous in vitro studies have shown that flavonoids are potent antioxidants and metal chelators. However, several studies showed polyphenol has the ability to induce genotoxicity. A study was conducted and have proven that EP is minimally toxic when assessed in WRL 68 and HepG2 cell lines using MTS assay. Thus, the aim of this study is to further confirm the safety of this herb by assessing the genotoxicity of EP leaf extract in normal and cancerous liver cell line, WRL 68 and HepG2 using comet assay. Salmonella typhymurium tester strains (TA1535 and TA1537) were used in the Ames' test to determine the degree of the mutagenicity of this plant. A dose-dependent effect of the extract on both cells was observed in the comet assay and it caused minimal damage to DNA, characterized by the degree of damaged to the nuclei. The test compound of EP extract of various concentrations also showed minimal mutagenicity towards the Salmonella tester strains indicated by number of revertant colonies after 72 hours of incubation. In conclusion, EP leaf extract are not genotoxic and safe for consumption.