The mutagenic, antimutagenic and antioxidant properties of Hypericum lydium

Context: There is a growing market demand for Hypericum sp., a pharmacologically active plant that has been traditionally used to treat various ailments. However, there have been limited studies on the extract or essential oil of Hypericum lydium Boiss (Hypericaceae). Objective: This study investigates for the first time the antioxidant, mutagenic and antimutagenic activity of an ethanol extract of H. lydium. Material and methods: Ethanol extract from aerial parts of H. lydium harvested from Turkey were tested for this mutagenic and antimutagenic activities (2.0–0.002 mg/plate) using Ames Salmonella/microsome test system. 4-Nitro-o-phenylenediamine (4-NPD) (3 μg/plate) for the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and sodium azide (NaN(3)) (8 μg/plate) for the S. typhimurium TA100 were used as positive controls. The antioxidant activity, total antioxidant activity and phenolic constituent of the extract (2.0–0.002 mg/mL) was determined by the inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), β-carotene-linoleic acid model and by means of Folin–Ciocalteu reagent, respectively. Results: The extract showed no sign of mutagenicity at the tested concentrations (0.002–2.0 mg/mL), and showed concentration-dependent antimutagenic activity against NaN(3) and 4-NPD ranging from 26.8 to 81.5%. The extract was found to be an efficient scavenger of DPPH (IC(50) 0.165 ± 0.23 mg/mL) and to inhibit β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching (IC(50) 0.39 ± 0.11 mg/mL). Discussion and conclusion: These findings indicate ethanol extract of H. lydium to be a safe and effective agent that may be incorporated into new strategies for the prevention of cancer and mutagenesis.