Antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities in Acacia salicina extracts and its protective role against DNA strand scission induced by hydroxyl radical

► The antioxidant potency and the antimutagenic activity of A. salicina extracts were investigated. ► The content of phenols, total flavonoids and sterols were also estimated in the tested extracts. ► A.salicina possesses antioxidant and antimutagenic activities, which could be ascribed to flavonoids, phenols and sterols. ► A.salicina may serve as an ideal candidate for a cost-effective, readily exploitable natural phytochemical preparation. The antioxidant potency of Acacia salicina extracts was investigated. Total antioxidant capacity was determined using an ABTS+ assay. Superoxide radical scavenging was measured using riboflavin-light-nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) assay. In addition, the content of phenols, total flavonoids and sterols were measured in the tested extracts. The petroleum ether exhibited a potent scavenging activity toward ABTS radical cations. Whereas, chloroform extract showed the highest activity against superoxides radicals and was also able to protect pKS plasmid DNA against hydroxyl radicals induced DNA damages. The antimutagenicity of these extracts was assayed using the Ames assay against Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and S. typhimurium TA 1535 tester strains at different concentrations. These extracts decreased significantly the mutagenecity induced by sodium azide (SA) and 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine (NOP). The antioxidant and antimutagenecity activities exhibited by A. salicina depended on the chemical composition of the tested extracts.