Evaluation of genotoxicity of Forssk. extract on mice bone marrow cells .

Chemotherapeutic agents for cancer are highly toxic to healthy tissues at therapeutic doses and hence alternative medicine avenues are widely researched. Most of the studies on alternative medicine have suggested that possesses considerable antitumor and antibacterial properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of extract on mice bone marrow cells using chromosomal aberration test and micronucleus assay. This study also deals with the effect of on the standard drug cyclophosphamide (CP) treatment in mice. Three different doses 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight were selected. In micronucleus assay, single oral dose administration of extract at the three doses did not increase the number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes. Similarly, a single oral administration of extract showed no significant changes on mitotic indices or in induction of chromosomal aberrations in mice bone marrow cells. Pretreatment with extract significantly reduced the clastogenicity of CP. Hence it can be concluded that, extract showed no significant genotoxic effect on mice bone marrow cells. Under the conditions of this study, it has been demonstrated that the extract is not genotoxic and not clastogenic at the concentrations used.