Assessment of the genotoxic, antigenotoxic, and cytotoxic activities of the ethanolic fruit extract of Solanum lycocarpum A. St. Hill. (Solanaceae) by micronucleus test in mice.

ABSTRACT

Solanum lycocarpum A. St. Hill. (Family Solanaceae), popularly known in Brazil as lobeira, is a common weed in the Brazilian Cerrado vegetation. The fruits of this species have been used in Brazil for culinary purposes and in folk medicine as a sedative, diuretic, antiepileptic, antispasmodic, hypoglycemic, and hypocholesterolemic agent as well as in the control of obesity. Due to the spreading use of this plant as a therapeutic resource and food, the present study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic, antigenotoxic, and cytotoxic effects of S. lycocarpum ethanolic fruit extract using the mouse bone marrow micronucleus test. Both genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of this ethanolic fruit extract were evaluated by using the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes, whereas cytotoxicity was assessed by the polychromatic and normochromatic erythrocytes ratio. Our results indicated that although S. lycocarpum ethanolic fruit extract did not exhibit genotoxic effect in mice bone marrow, both cytotoxic and antigenotoxic actions were evidenced at all tested doses.