Comparative study of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of alpha- and beta-asarone

Abstract

The cytotoxicity of alpha- and beta-asarone was investigated with the BrdU assay in HepG2-cells. Alpha-asarone was found to be more toxic than betaasarone after 24 hours of treatment. Investigation of the genotoxicity using the micronucleus assay in the HepG2-cell system showed that only after metabolic activation by a liver microsomal preparation, beta-asarone was able to induce micronuclei at concentrations higher than 50 μg/mL. © Unger and Melzig; licensee Österreichische Apotheker-Verlagsgesellschaft m. b. H., Vienna, Austria.