Evaluation of antigenotoxic potential of some indigenous plants

Herbal medicines are more popular for the treatment of many diseases due to popular belief that green medicine is safe, easily available and with lesser side effects. Sometimes crude extract from medicinal plants are more biologically active than isolated compounds due to their synergistic effects. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage cellular DNA and play an important role in process like mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and aging. Antioxidants identified for antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties. Routine consumption of naturally occurring antioxidants has capacity to protect organisms and cells from oxidation. Indigenous plants also provide a rich source for antioxidants that are known to play very important role to protect against various disease. Keeping in mind the great medicinal value and high content of polyphenols, flavanoids; present investigation was planned to study the antigenotoxic effect of methanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria fruits, desmodium gangeticum (aerial part) and leucas aspera (aerial part).