Genotoxic and antigenotoxic activity of chemical compounds of plant origin as applied to horticulture
1987
San, R.H.C.
The concern over the presence of toxic and, in particular, carcinogenic chemical components in horticultural food crops is not a new one. A number of chemical substances commonly found in edible plants are known to have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. In addition, the processing of plants into food products has been shown to generate genotoxic materials in some instances. One aspect which has not received due attention in such studies is the presence of antigenotoxic agents. The decrease in cancer incidence believed to be associated with the increased intake of vegetables is suggestive of the presence of protective components in vegetables. This paper focuses on the use of short-term in vitro bioassays to study the genotoxic as well as the antigenotoxic activity of chemical compounds of plant origin. In particular, some non-flavonoid phenolic compounds are genotoxic under certain circumstances, but elicit antigenotoxic activity when the assay conditions are changed. These observations need to be considered when evaluating in vitro genotoxicity data in relation to making human health risk assessments.
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