The Open Mycology Journal

2008, 2 : 48-54
Published online 2008 July 12. DOI: 10.2174/1874437000802010048
Publisher ID: TOMYCJ-2-48

Genotoxic Potentials of Natural Products Detected by a Short-Term Test Using Diploid Strains of Aspergillus nidulans

M.J. Salvador , T.D. Zucchi , E.C. Schinor , D.A. Dias , O.L.A.D. Zucchi , P. Poli and T.M.A.D. Zucchi
Departamento de Departamento de Ciências Biológicas & Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Av. Don Antonio, 2100., CEP 19806-900, Assis, SP, Brasil.

ABSTRACT

Main aim is to evaluate the genotoxic potentials of three classes of natural products, a sesquiterpene lactone (cynaropicrin), a saponin (stigmast-7en-3β-ol-glucopyranoside) and a steroid (stigmasterol), at low doses, using the Homozygotization Index test (HI). This short-term test, deals with the determination of alterations in mitotic crossing-over frequencies eventually involving heterozygous auxotrophic genes in diploid strains of Aspergillus nidulans. In this way, treatments of UT448//UT184 and Dp II-I//UT184 diploid strains with the natural products showed that saponin and lactone significantly increased the homozygotization index (HI) of both strains, especially for the diploid Dp II-I//UT184. No effect was observed with the steroid. On this account it presents remarkable potentials to detect the genotoxic/ carcinogenic effects of bioactive natural products. Furthermore, this is the first time the low doses effects of bioactive natural products were detected using A. nidulans.

Keywords:

Natural products, Sesquiterpene lactone (cynaropicrin), Saponin (stigmast-7en-3β-ol-glucopyranoside).