Protoanemonin, an antimutagen isolated from plants.

Protoanemonin was identified as the factor responsible for the antimutagenicity of Ranunculus and Anemone plants against the strain E. coli B/r WP2 trp. The specific activities found were AD50 = 30 and 47 microgram/plate, respectively, for UV- and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced mutations. Quantitative analyses of protoanemonin in the crude extracts of Ranunculus and Anemone plants were performed by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography.