Evaluation of genotoxicity and mutagenicity of aqueous extracts of Rhazya stricta Decne. and Thymus vulgaris L

Genotoxic Potential of Thymol on Honey Bee DNA in the Comet Assay

Thymol is a natural essential oil derived from the plant Thymus vulgaris L. It is known to be beneficial for human and animal health and has been used in beekeeping practice against Varroa mite for years. In this study, the genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of thymol were evaluated on the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) continuous cell line AmE-711 for the first time. Using the Comet assay, three increasing concentrations (10, 100, and 1000 µg/mL) of thymol were tested. Negative control (non-treated cells) and positive control (cells treated with 100 µM H₂O₂) were also included. The absence of thymol cytotoxicity was confirmed with the Trypan blue exclusion test. Thymol in the concentration of 10 µg/mL did not increase DNA damage in AmE-711 honey bee cells, while 100 and 1000 µg/mL concentrations showed genotoxic effects. For testing the antigenotoxic effect, all concentrations of thymol were mixed and incubated with H₂O₂. The antigenotoxic effect against was absent at all concentrations (10, 100, 1000 μg/mL) tested. Moreover, thymol enhanced the H₂O₂-induced DNA migration in the Comet assay. The obtained results indicate genotoxic effects of thymol on cultured honey bee cells suggesting its careful application in beekeeping practice to avoid possible negative effects on honey bees.

A Review of Rhazya stricta Decne Phytochemistry, Bioactivities, Pharmacological Activities, Toxicity, and Folkloric Medicinal Uses

The local medicinal plant Rhazya stricta Decne is reviewed for its folkloric medicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological, biological, and toxicological features. R. stricta has been used widely in different cultures for various medical disorders. The phytochemical studies performed on the R. stricta extract revealed many alkaloidal and fatty acid compounds. Moreover, several flavonoid and terpenoid compounds were also detected. Pharmacological activates of R. stricta extracts are approved to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antihypertensive activities. Additionally, R. stricta extract was found to hold biological activates such as larvicidal and phytoremediation activates R. stricta extract was found to be toxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic. R. stricta contains novel phytochemical compounds that have not been investigated pharmacologically. Further research is needed through in vitro and in vivo experiments to pave the road for these compounds for medical, veterinary, and ecological uses.

Genotoxic and cytotoxic assessment of two endemic Lamiaceae species from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Clinopodium alpinum subsp. orontium (K.Malý) Govaerts and Thymus bracteosus Vis. ex Benth. are endemic Lamiaceae species in Bosnia and Herzegovina with rather limited data about their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. This study aimed to analyse phenolic compounds composition of C. alpinum subsp. orontium and T. bracteosus aqueous and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) extracts and their cytotoxic and genotoxic potential in human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures. Among 33 analytes, 17 were identified and quantified in the examined extracts with the rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids as main constituents. Genotoxic effects of extracts from both species are proven at the highest applied dose. T. bracteosus extracts and DMSO as a solvent exhibited stronger genotoxic potential that should be further investigated in tumour cell lines. Nevertheless, non-endemic species with similar phenolic composition and bioactivity should be the first choice for medicinal purposes.