Abstract: The suppressing effect of the hot-water extract of Cassia
nomame (Sieb.) HONDA was studied on the frequency of chromosomal aberrations
in Chinese hamster ovary K1 (CHO-K1) cells. CHO-K1 cells were pretreated with
2.5 μM Mitomycin C (MMC) for 1 h and incubated with or
without the extract in medium for 10–24 h. The frequency of chromosome
aberrations in observed 100 metaphase cells was significantly lower with the
extract than that without the extract. Moreover, the suppressing effect of the
four fractions collected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was
also examined on the same procedure. The frequency of cells with chromosome
aberrations in cells cultured with each collected fraction was lower than in
those without the extract. The suppressing effect of the collected fractions on
chromosomal aberrations, however, was less than that of the total extract. This
result suggests that the ingredients which have the suppressing effect of
chromosomal aberrations are also contained in the other fraction of the
extract.
