Evaluation of the genotoxicity of plant extracts.

This study investigated the genetic safety of hydroalcoholic extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cecropia peltata and Petiveria alliacea, plants with therapeutic potential in Cuba for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The objective was to evaluate their genotoxicity to rule out risks of mutations or degenerative diseases before their pharmacological application. Using an ex vivo plasmid DNA biomodel, the clastogenicity was evaluated at concentrations of 1 - 1000 μg/ml. Results at 30 min exposure indicated that none of the species caused damage to the genetic material. By extending the incubation time up to 4 h at the maximum dose, C. officinalis and C. peltata maintained their safety, ratifying them as safe candidates for future bioactivity studies. In contrast, P. alliacea extract showed chain breaks in treatments >= 2 hours at 1000 μg/ml, suggesting the need for future genotoxicity testing with experimental biomodels of higher complication.