Clastogenicity of red pepper ( Capsicum frutescens L.) extracts

Extracts from the fruits of Capsicum frutescens L. were tested for their clastogenicity using the mouse-bone-marrow micronucleus (mouse-MN) assay. Results of the mouse-MN, an in vivo method, indicated that the isolate CF-1 is clastogenic at the maximum tolerated dose of 1.22 mg/kg mouse. Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon two-sample test showed that the null hypothesis, μ tetracycline = μ CF-1, is acceptable at 0.05 and 0.01 degrees of significance. Hence, the clastogenicity of CF-1 is statistically similar to that of tetracycline, a known clastogen, at the 5% and 1% levels of significance.