New Prospective Materials for Chemoprevention: Three Phlomis

Aim: Plants are permanent sources of biologically active compounds, used by about 80% of the world population as manufactured drugs. The aims of this paper are to determine the mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of methanol, ethyl acetate and water extracts from Phlomis nissoli (PNM, PNE, PNW) Phlomis pungens var. pungens (PPM, PPE, PPW) and Phlomis armeniaca (PAM, PAE, PAW) against well-known mutagens.

Methodology: Mutagenic/antimutagenic activities were determined by Ames test.

Results: Extracts of P. nissoli, P. pungens and P. armeniaca were not mutagenic against TA98 and TA100 in the condition both with and without S9 mix. The strongest antimutagenic action was revealed by PNE extract at a dose of 5000 µg/plate against 2-amino-flourene with 96% inhibition for TA98 with S9 mix. PNM extract alleviated the mutagenic action of 2-amino-anthracene and exhibited strong inhibition rates (93%, 78%, 57%, respectively) with S9 mix at all doses for TA100 strain. While PAE extract manifested 95%, 91% and 84% inhibition against 2-amino-flourene for TA98, it revealed 90%, 84%, and 87% inhibition ratios, respectively, making them as strongly antimutagenic against 2-amino-anthracene for TA100 with S9 mix.

Conclusion: P. nissoli, P. pungens and P. armeniaca extracts have significant antimutagenic capacities and they can represent a good model for the development of new drug formulations in pharmaceutical industry and they could be used in food industry as chemoprevention agent.