AUSENCIA DE EFECTO CITOTÓXICO, MUTAGÉNICO Y GENOTÓXICO DE EXTRACTO ACUOSO Y ACEITE ESENCIAL DE CARICA CANDAMARCENSIS HOOK. (PLANTAE: CARICACEAE)/ABSENCE OF CYTOTOXIC, MUTAGENIC AND GENOTOXIC EFECTS OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT AND ESENTIAL OILS OF CARICA CANDAMARCENSIS HOOK. (PLANTAE: CARICACEAE)

The aqueous extract and essential oils from the pulp of ripe fruits of Carica candamarcensis Hook. f. (1875) (chilacuan, cold weather papayuela) showed in vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity; therefore, they may be considered promissory for a complementary therapy to control gastric infection of this bacterium. The present study contributes to further examine these extracts, evaluating: 1. cytotoxicity through analysis of human lymphocytes isolated by the traditional Hystopaque gradient method and cultured in RPMI-1640 medium, 2. mutagenicity through the Ames assay, 3. genotoxicity through alkaline electrophoresis of individual cells [comet assay (SGCE)]. This study demonstrated that based upon the tests used, all evaluated concentrations were safe in a mutagenic, genotoxic and cytotoxic level. However, further studies are required with other test methods to confirm or refute whether extracts induce significant DNA damage, or have antimutagenic and antigenotoxic effects, to permit a subsequente development of a herbal medicine based upon C. candamarcensis as complementary therapy in patients with a record of infection with H. pylori.