ANTIMUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF LEAVES OF 4 COMMON EDIBLE VEGETABLE PLANTS IN NIGERIA (WEST-AFRICA)

Organic solvent extracts of leaves of 4 common edible vegetable plants - Bryophyllum pinnatum, Dialium guincense, Ocimum gratissimum and Ver nonia amygdalina - had inhibitory activity for His to His+ reverse-mut ations induced by ethyl methanesulfonate acting on Salmonella typhimur ium TA100. The concentrated ethyl acetate, methanol and petroleum ethe r extracts were heat-stable when dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. The Bryophyllum ethyl acetate extract was fractionated into alkaloidal/wat er-soluble, acids, polar lipid and non-polar lipid fractions. The pola r and non-polar lipid fractions inhibited reversion mutations induced by ethyl methanesulfonate acting on TA100 or TA102, and were also acti ve against reversions induced by 4-nitro-O-phenylenediamine and 2-amin ofluorene in TA98. The alkaloidal/water-soluble and the acid fractions had no appreciable antimutagenic activities.