Abstract

Chronic constipation (CC) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders and despite it is a rarely life-threatening condition, its effects can lead to discomfort and diminish the quality of life. Laxatives are commonly prescribed in CC patients including herbal products in standardized forms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a commercially available herbal formulation (Sollievo Bio, Aboca, Sansepolcro, Italy), for potential cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity on a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29). The cytokinesis-block micronucleus test was used for genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity testing, three concentrations of Sollievo Bio (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/ml) were assayed and mitomycin C (MMC: 3 µg/ml) was used as an inductor of micronuclei. Sollievo Bio did not induce any significant variation in spontaneous micronucleus (MN) frequency and, interestedly, reduced the MN frequency induced by MMC in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, our findings confirmed the safety of SollievoBio and suggested that Sollievo Bio may possess strong antigenotoxic and protective effects on MMC in vitro.

Key words: Herbal laxative, HT-29 cells, genotoxicity, antigenotoxicity, cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) test.