Ginseng extract exhibits antimutagenic activity against induced mutagenesis in various strains of <i style="">Salmonella typhimurium</i>

Abstract

Ginseng has been reported to exhibit antioxidant and antimutagenic activity. The present study was undertaken with a view to confirm whether the antioxidant activity of Ginseng is responsible for its antimutagenic action. The concentrated root extract of <i style="">Panax ginseng </i>(Ginseng extract I) and its lyophilized powder (Ginseng extract II) obtained from two different manufacturing houses, were tested against mutagenesis using the well-standardized Ames microsomal test system. The extracts exhibited antimutagenic effect against hydrogen peroxide induced mutagenesis in TA100 strain, and against mutagenesis produced by 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide in both TA98 and TA100 strains of <i style="">Salmonella typhimurium</i>. Both the extracts failed to show any antimutagenic potential against <i style="">tert</i>-butyl hydroperoxide (an oxidative mutagen) in TA102 strain, a strain highly sensitive to active oxygen species. The extracts also indicated a weak antioxidant activity in a series of <i style="">in vitro</i> test systems viz., 1,1-diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and superoxide anion scavenging. The results indicate that the protective effects shown by ginseng extract(s) against 4-nitroquinoline-n-oxide and hydrogen peroxide induced mutagenesis in TA98 and TA100 could mainly be due to its property to initiate and promote DNA repair rather than free radical scavenging action.