Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of commonly used surinamese medicinal plants in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells

OBJECTIVE: Medicinal plants are popularly used in Suriname for treating a wide variety of conditions. However, there are often no records about their possible adverse maternal and perinatal effects. For this reason, we assessed a number of commonly used plant-derived folk medicines for their potential genotoxic effects in a cell culture model. DESIGN AND METHODS: Parts from Aloe vera, Apium graveolens, Azaradichta indica, Carica papaya, Cocos nucifera, Dioscorea villosa, Eryngium foetidum, Gossypium barbadense, Momordica charantia, Musa x paradisiaca, and Senna reticulata were extracted with distilled water, freeze-dried, and stored at -20oC. Next, they were evaluated at serial dilutions for their effects on the proliferation of, and DNA damage formation in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using a sulforhodamine B and a single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, respectively. The latter studies were validated by assessing the DNA strand-breakage induced by etoposide. RESULTS: The extracts from A. vera, G. barbadense, M. charantia, M. paradisiaca, and S. reticulata inhibited cell growth at IC50 values of 100 to 400 μg/mL, whereas the remaining samples were hardly cytotoxic (IC50 values > 1,000 μg/mL). However, only the extracts from G. barbadense and M. paradisiaca caused appreciable DNA damage, viz. 40 and 30%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Preparations from G. barbadense and M. paradisiaca should be used with caution, particularly by pregnant women. These samples are now further evaluated in more comprehensive models of genotoxicity.

Endoreplication in the ovary, testis, and intestine of strongyloides sterocalis

During development of the free-living adults of the human parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, cells in certain tissues grow by endoreplication in which rounds of DNA replication occur without cell or nuclear division. The DNA content of individual nuclei was measured by microdensitometry of Feulgenstained preparations. In females, some ovarian cells have up to 800 times the haploid DNA content (800C). In males, some cells of the testis have up to 100C. Intestinal cells in both sexes have up to 16C, whereas most other somatic cells have 2C (AU)

Co-existing leiomyoma and benign cystic teratoma of the ovary

A case of benign cystic teratoma and a leiomyoma in the same ovary is described. The leiomyoma was confirmed by immunohistochemical methods. The occurrence of leimyoma and a teratoma within the same ovary is very rare.

Primary ovarian ectopic pregnancy with the use of an intrauterine contraceptive device

A case of primary ovarian ectopic pregnancy in a 33-year-old Trinidadian woman who was using an intra-uterine contraceptive device is presented. This rare type of ectopic gestation is the first case to be documented and reported from Trinidad (AU)

An unusual content of a hernial sac

Hernial sac found with right ovary, fallopian tube and uterus inside. (AU)