The Suppressive Effect of Medicinal Herbs on the $H_2O_2$-Induced Hypoxanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyl Transferase (HPRT) Mutation

수종의 생약이 과산화수소에 의한 Hypoxanthine-guanine Phosphoribosyl Transferase (HPRT) 유전자 돌연변이 억제에 미치는 효과

DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) seems to play an important role in the induction of mutation and cancer. Hydrogen peroxide $(H_2O_2)$ has been shown to induce a variety of genetic alterations, probably by the generation of hydroxyl radicals via Fenton reaction. In this study, we examined the ability of medicinal herbs in the suppression of $H_2O_2$-induced mutagenesis. Human fibroblast GM00637 cells were treated with $H_2O_2$ in the presence or absence of medicinal herbs, and $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency was measured at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) locus. Treatment of cells with various doses of $H_2O_2$ caused a significant increase of the HPRT mutant frequency. However, pretreatment of cells with several medicinal herbs reduced $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency. The strong antimutagenic effects were observed from the methylene chloride and ethyl acetate fractions of Selaginella tamariscina, Panax ginseng, and Angelica acutiloba; ethyl acetate fractions of Rehmania glutinosa, Leonurus sibiricus, Curcuma zedoaria and Commiphora molmol; butanol fractions of Scutellaria barbata, Tribulus terrestris, Curcuma zedoaria, Cyperus rotundus and Carthamus tinctorius, which were more than 60% inhibition of $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency at the HPRT locus.