Several herbal drugs have yielded important modern therapeutic agents. In Algeria, folk medicinal herbs such as Pistacia terebinthus (family of Anacardiaceae) are widely distributed. Pistacia terebinthus L. (turpentine tree, terebinth) is a perennial shrub or small tree widely grown in southern and western Turkey, and in western and eastern Algeria on dry rocky slopes and hillsides or in pine forests (Özcan et al., 2009, Bellifa et al., 2021). In fact, P. terebinthus fruits are commonly consumed as a coffee-based beverage, which is prepared with milk, known as ‘menengiç’ coffee in Turkish (Baytop, 1984).P. terebinthus fruits have been the focus of several research activities due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant (Topçu et al., 2007), and anti-inflammatory properties (Giner-Larza et al., 2000), as well as their high oil content (approximately 40%) (Matthaus and Ozcan, 2006). These fruits contain high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids, phenolic compounds and tocopherols, tannins, resinous substances, and dietary fibers (10%) (Özcan, 2004; Matthäus and Özcan, 2006). Terebinth has been described as an antiseptic and antihypertensive, and it has also been used to treat gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders (Bozorgi et al., 2013). As previously reported, various parts of this species (stems, flowers, and leaves) have antioxidant and other pharmacological properties. Due to their richness in secondary compounds such as flavonoids and polyphenols, radical scavenging activity of Pistacia terebinthus extracts was found to be fairly high (Topçu et al., 2007), indicating a possible preventive role in carcinogenesis by reducing oxidative stress (Kavak et al., 2010). Another common folk remedy, Ephedra alata, a medicinal plant of the Ephedraceae family known in Algeria as Alenda, is a perennial, xerophytic, gymnosperm and delicious shrub with erect non-climbing stems and short leaves that are united towards the base and yellowish-green bracts that flowers in July (Bell, A. and Bachman, S., 2011) and has a strong pine-like smell (Blumenthal, M. and King, P, 1995). This shrub grows in temperate, subtropical, and dry environments and can be found in the North African countries of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Chad, Mauritania, and Mali, as well as in Asia (China, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq) and Europe (Spain) (Ebadi, M.,2007).E. alata is used in traditional medicine for treating respiratory disorders and rheumatism (Aidi et al 2023). The plant is also used in the traditional Chinese Pharmacopeia against cough, hay fever, cold, chills, asthma, allergies, and edema (Al-Snafi,.2017), while Algerians and Tunisians use it as anti-cancer treatment (Sioud, Fet al, 2020), in addition to its effects in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy (Jaradat, N.Aet al., 2016). The primary active molecules in E. alata are the ephedrine alkaloids which have major side effects such as adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events if used in high doses, which explains why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned any drugs that contain ephedrine alkaloids (Ibragic, S.et al., 2015). The major compounds detected in E. alata growing in Algeria are isoflavones and flavonol derivatives with hydroxypuerarin isomer as the major molecule.
For the evaluation of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of many herbal medicines, extracts of different plant parts have been used, ranging from leafy vegetables, fruits, and underground storage organs to whole plants. The extracts are prepared mainly in water or organic solvents. Several of these toxicity assays have indicated the involvement of certain factors that are intrinsic components of the extracts, ranging from specific compounds like ascorbic acid to vegetable fibres which could act as nonspecific redox agents, free radical scavengers, or ligands for binding metals or toxic principles.
Oxidative stress can cause DNA damage in the cells. If DNA repair is unable to modify or repair the DNA damage, genomic instability may lead to mutation, cancer, aging, and many other diseases. However, cells have special mechanisms to counteract and minimize these damages. Recently, research has shown that dietary patterns and food constituents can revert this toxicity in cells. A considerable body of epidemiological evidence indicates that a diet with high intake of fruits and vegetables is inversely related to the risk of chronic, degenerative diseases such as coronary heart disease and certain types of cancer. Much research effort has focused on the identification of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables that exert beneficial effects and on the elucidation of the mechanisms by which they inhibit cellular damage and degeneration (Sarkaret al., 2008). Several experimental systems (e.g., membranes, plants, cell cultures, animal models and human clinical trials) were used to study the bioactivity of these plant-derived compounds. The effects of toxic compounds can for example be observed at the level of chromosomes by quantifying alterations in chromosome structure (chromosomal aberrations) and number (aneuploidy, polyploidy). Assays with several crude vegetable and fruit extracts have shown their clastogenic effect or protective activities against known genotoxic agents such as plants containing aristolochic acid. Additionally, single extract components such as sulfhydryl and flavonoid compounds, gallic acid, ellagic acid, mucic acid, citric acid, reducing sugars, and tannins have been described to have an additive interaction with the major constituent’s chlorophyll and ascorbic acid when modulating the effects of the clastogens (Leme&Marin-Morales, 2009). The increase in chromosomal aberrations may result from interactions of a different variety of chemical agents with DNA. According to (Ishidateet al. 1988), agents that induce an increase in the chromosomal aberration’s frequency by direct or indirect mechanism may also be cytotoxic, by causing damage to both DNA and other cellular targets (enzymes, membranes, structural proteins).
The present study aimed to establish a phytochemical profile, and evaluate the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity potential of E. alata and P. terebinthus grown in Algeria.