859 FEREGRINO-PÉREZ et al: ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMUTAGENIC ACTIVITIES OF ACACIA PENNATULA PODS Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research Vol. 70, October 2011, pp. 859-864 *Author for correspondence E-mail: ramon.guevara@uaq.mx Antioxidant and antimutagenic activities of Acacia pennatula pods Ana A Feregrino-Pérez 1 , Irineo Torres-Pacheco 1 , Marcela Vargas-Hernández 2 , Perla V Munguía-Fragozo 3 , Guadalupe F Loarca-Piña 3 , Sandra O Mendoza-Díaz 3 , Rosalía V Ocampo-Velázquez 1 , Enrique Rico-García 1 and Ramón G Guevara-Gónzalez 1 * 1 C.A de Ingeniería de Biosistemas. División de Investigación y Posgrado. Facultad de Ingeniería. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Centro Universitario Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, Col. Las Campanas. CP. 76010. Santiago de Querétaro, Qro, México 2 Licenciatura en Biotecnología. Facultad de Química. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Centro Universitario Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, Col. Las Campanas. CP. 76010. Santiago de Querétaro, Qro, México 3 Programa de Posgrado en Alimentos del Centro de la República (PROPAC). Facultad de Química. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Centro Universitario Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, Col. Las Campanas. CP. 76010. Santiago de Querétaro, Qro, México Received 11 May 2011; revised 10 August 2011; accepted 23 August 2011 Methanolic extracts of Acacia pennatula pods (MEA) were screened for antioxidant and antimutagenic properties by 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2´-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Kado microsuspension assays, respectively. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as HPLC identi- fication and quantification of gallic acid and (+)-catechin were also carried out. MEA were capable of significant antioxidant capacity by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. MEA inhibited > 80% mutagenicity induced either by 4-nitro-O-phenylenedi- amine or sodium azide. Thus phenolics-containing extracts of A. pennatula pods display biological activities with potential application in pharmaceutical and food sectors. Keywords : Acacia pennatula, Antimutagenic, Antioxidant, Phenolic compounds Introduction In Mexico, genus Acacia comprises 64 species, of which A. angustissima, A. cochliancantha , A. macracantha and A. pennatula are widely found 1 . A. pycnantha, A. decurrens, A. dealbata and A. mearnsii 2 are tannin-rich species. A. pennatula , locally named as tepame, algarrobo or huizache, grows in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Querétaro, Guanajuato and Yucatan in Mexico. It is also found in Central and South America 1 . Tepame is a 2-6 m high tree with branches containing thorns 2-4 mm long, with pubescent leaves, bipinnately compound, 5-10 cm long, spirally disposed, with a dark green surface and a light green back 1 . Tepame flowers are arranged as yellow or orange heads and fruit is a reddish brown, flattened pod, 8-10 cm long 3 . Tepame is used in traditional Mexican medicine to alleviate stomach and toothache 4 . This plant is actually used as firewood and for the construction of rural houses and fences. Phenolics derived from fruits, vegetables, herbs and leaves, stems and pods of some trees are reported to possess a wide range of biological effects including antimicrobial, anti- inflammatory actions 5,6 , antithrombotic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic and antioxidants 7-9 . Phenolics-containing extracts from pods are reported 6 a more sustainable exploitation than the traditional bark. This study presents antimutagenic and antioxidant activities of methanolic extract from A. pennatula pods (MEA) to evaluate uses of pods in food and pharmaceutical industries. Experimental Section Plant Material Pods were collected in December 2010 from La Cañada, Querétaro, 20°36 34 N, 100°20 20 O y 1875 m. A voucher specimen of plant was deposited at Ethnobotanical Collection of Herbarium of QMEX, School of Natural Sciences, University of Querétaro. Seed-free pods were air-dried and grounded to a 40-mesh powder ' ' ' ' ' '