RESUMEN
Some medicinal plants are the object of biotechnologists' special interest owing to their content of secondary metabolites, which have a strong pharmacological effect. Polyscias filicifolia is a plant known for long in traditional medicine of the Southeast Asia. Literature data suggest that it acts on the endocrine system, has adaptogenic and antiulcerative activity, shows bactericidal and insecticidal properties, restores the activity of the protein synthesis system in the conditions of long- and short-term anoxia, as well as reduces the effect of many mutagens in vitro. The purpose of the studies was to assess the cytotoxic and genotoxic effect of ethanol extracts from Polyscias filicifolia dry shoots and leaves obtained in vitro, as well as cell biomass from suspension culture. Saponin fraction from dried shoots was also tested. Initially, the cytotoxic effect was evaluated using the murine connective tissue cell line C3H/AN - L929. The genotoxic properties of the extracts were assessed using standard screening tests: the Ames test and the micronucleus test. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that none of the extracts increases the number of revertants, both in tests with and without metabolic activation. The lack of in vitro genotoxic and mutagenic activity of tested shoot, dried leaf, cell biomass extracts, as well as the saponin fraction from dried shoots allows us to hope that Polyscias filicifolia could be used as a possible pharmaceutical raw material showing therapeutic properties.