Genotoxic and mutagenic properties of Bauhinia platypetala extract, a traditional Brazilian medicinal plant Francisco Jose ´ Borges dos Santos a,b , Dinara Jaqueline Moura c , Vale ´ ria Flores Pe ´ res c , Angelo Regis de Moura Sperotto c , Elina Bastos Caram ~ ao d , Ana Ame ´ lia de Carvalho Melo Cavalcante e,f , Jenifer Saffi c,n a Post-Graduation Program in Genetic and Applied Toxicology, Lutheran University of Brazil, Canoas 92425-900, RS, Brazil b Department of Chemistry, Federal Institute of Piauı ´, Teresina 64049-550, PI, Brazil c Laboratory of Genetic Toxicology – Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, RS, Brazil d Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil e Post-Graduation Program in Pharmaceutics Science, Federal University of Piaui, Teresina, Piaui, Brazil f College NOVAFAPI, Teresina 64073-505, PI, Brazil article info Article history: Received 18 January 2012 Received in revised form 14 August 2012 Accepted 25 August 2012 Available online 4 October 2012 Keywords: Bauhinia platypetala Genotoxicity Mutagenicity Cytotoxicity Eukaryotic cells abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bauhinia platypetala Burch. is a traditionally used Brazilian medicinal plant, although no evidence in the literature substantiates the safety of its use. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of the ethanolic extract and the ethereal fraction of B. platypetala leaves. Materials and methods: The identification of chemical compounds from the B. platypetala ethanolic extract and its ethereal fraction was performed by GC/MS and ESI-MS/MS. The plant’s toxicological, cytotoxic, mutagenic and genotoxic properties were determined in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains and V79 cell culture by survival assays and comet assay. Results: The major compound identified in the B. platypetala ethanolic extract is palmitic acid, kaempferitirin and quercitrin, while the B. platypetala ethereal fraction was found to be rich in phytol, gamma-sitosterol and vitamin E. Moreover, the results indicated that the B. platypetala ethanolic extract has an anti-oxidative effect against H 2 O 2 in yeast. In addition, the B. platypetala ethanolic extract did not induce mutagenic effects on the S. cerevisiae N123 strain, but the ethereal fraction of B. platypetala at higher concentrations (250–500 mg/mL) induced cytotoxicity and mutagenicity. A slight cytotoxic effect was observed in mammalian V79 cells; however, both the B. platypetala ethanolic extract and its ethereal fraction were able to induce DNA strand breaks in V79 cells, as detected by the alkaline comet assay. Conclusion: The B. platypetala ethanolic extract has antioxidant action and showed absence of mutagenic effects in yeast S. cerevisiae. On the other hand B. platypetala ethereal fraction is mutagenic and does not show antioxidant activity in yeast. In mammalian cells B. platypetala ethanolic extract and it’s ethereal fraction induce cyotoxic and genotoxic action. & 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In recent decades, the amount of information regarding the use of plant resources from tropical forests has increased (Bourdy et al., 2000; Bussmann and Sharon, 2006; De Lucena et al., 2007; Tilahun and Mirutse, 2007). Ethnobotany is one of the fields that has progressed significantly in terms of the recent research that has focused on the plant species used in popular medicine (De Oliveira et al., 2009). Brazil possesses great biodiversity and has a wealth of knowl- edge accumulated by local people who have direct access to nature and these resources (Montanari and Bolzani, 2001). Thus, folk medicine in Brazil, which is derived from a mixture of Brazilian indigenous cultures as well as European and African influences from the colonization period (Martins et al., 2003), is the basis for the knowledge regarding these traditionally used medicinal plants. The Bauhinia platypetala Burch. presents as small trees or shrubs of 4-10 m height from 1.5 to 3 m width. The leaves are obcordiforme, and the flowers have a thin tube calyx and broad- linear petals with oblong fruit that are flat pods, 4–7 in. in length with numerous seeds (Vaz and Tozzi, 2005). Surveys conducted in Brazil found that B. platypetala are used as a popular treatment for Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jep Journal of Ethnopharmacology 0378-8741/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.08.047 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ55 51 3303 8803; fax: þ55 51 3303 8810. E-mail addresses: borgissantos@gmail.com (F.J.B.d. Santos), jenifers@ufcspa.edu.br (J. Saffi). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 144 (2012) 474–482