Toxicity and genotoxicity of antimalarial alkaloid rich extracts derived from Mitragyna inermis O. Kuntze and Nauclea latifolia

• Published in: Phytotherapy research 2000-12, Vol.14 (8), p.608-611
• Main Authors: Traore, F., Gasquet, M., Laget, M., Guiraud, H., Di Giorgio, C., Azas, N., Doumbo, O., Timon-David, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alkaloid rich extract; Alkaloids - toxicity; Animals; antimalarial plants; Antimalarials - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Carbocyanines - chemistry; Comet Assay; DNA Damage; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Flow Cytometry; genotoxicity; Humans; Kidney - chemistry; Kinetics; Liver - chemistry; Lymphocytes - chemistry; Mali; Medical sciences; Medicine, African Traditional; Membrane Potentials; Mice; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Monocytes - cytology; Monocytes - drug effects; Mutagenicity Tests; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plants, Medicinal - toxicity; Salmonella typhimurium - drug effects; Salmonella typhimurium - genetics; toxicity
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/1099-1573(200012)14:8<608::AID-PTR667>3.0.CO;2-D

The toxicity and the genotoxicity of antimalarial alkaloid rich extracts derived from two plants used in traditional medicine in Mali (Mitragyna inermis (Willd.) O. Kuntze Rubiaceae and Nauclea latifolia (Sm.) Rubiaceae) were evaluated on in vitro and in vivo systems. The results demonstrated that an alkaloid rich extract derived from M. inermis induced a strong inhibition of protein synthesis in mammalian cells but did not exhibit mutagenic or genotoxic activity. An alkaloid rich extract derived from N. latifolia could interact in vitro with DNA of bacteria and mammalian cells, leading to G2‐M cell cycle arrest and heritable DNA‐damage, as well as inducing in vivo single‐strand breaks in liver, kidney and blood cells. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.