Abstract
Plants are used as a good source of medicines by the pharmaceutical industry. In the present study, the action of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban extract on chromosomal aberrations (CAs), mitotic index (MI), sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and replication index (RI) induced by methylmethane sulphonate (MMS) and cyclophosphamide (CP) was assessed in human lymphocytes in vitro. The study was performed both in the absence as well as presence of metabolic activation (S9 mix). The extract at the dosages of 1.075 x 10 super(-4), 2.127 x 10 super(-4) and 3.15 x 10 super(-4) g/ml of culture medium was given separately, along with 60 mu M of MMS and 0.16 mu g/ml of CP, respectively. The used dosages of plant infusion did not induced CAs and SCEs significantly nor affect RI and MI both in the absence as well as presence of metabolic activation (S9 mix). A dose dependent significant decrease in the genotoxic damage was observed at all the tested dosages of plant extract when given along with 60 mu M of MMS (without S9 mix) and 0.16 mu g/ml of CP (with S9 mix). The results indicate that the plant extract per se do not have genotoxic activity but can modulate the genotoxic activity of MMS and CP in human lymphocytes in vitro.