Herbal medicine against genotoxicity of dimethoate, an insecticide, in mammalian somatic cells.

In this study, the genotoxic effects of dimethoate (DIM) were investigated with the micronucleus test in human peripheral lymphocytes. The ethanol extracts of and were used to remove possible genotoxic effects of these substances. For this purpose, different concentrations (0.5-1-2 μg/mL) of dimethoate, DIM + RC and DIM + SL (1:1 v/v) application groups were prepared and applied to the blood culture. The obtained data were compared with the negative control group that was prepared with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent and a well-known genotoxic effects of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) as positive control group. It was observed in lymphocyte cells that the frequency of MN considerably increased depending on the increasing dose of DIM whereas the nuclear division index (NBI)decreased according to the control group, especially in the last concentration (2 μg/mL). But, as the MN frequency decreased, NBI values approached to control group with 2μg/mL DIM + RC and 2μg/mL DIM + SL according to DIM application group (P < 0.05). Additionally, RC and SL were analyzed by gas chromotography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).