Genotoxic studies on Panax ginseng and Polygonum multiflorum and their combination in mouse peripheral lymphocyte cells

In the present studies, single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) was employed to assess the genotoxicities of Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) and Polygonum multiflorum (P. multiflorum ), administered individually or in combination, on mouse peripheral lymphocyte DNA. P. ginseng, P. multiflorum and their combination were orally administered to mice in low, medium and high doses for seven consecutive days. Cyclophosphamide (CP) was used as a positive control. Blood samples were drawn from the vein cluster behind the eye 2 h after drug administration on the first, third and seventh day. P. ginseng (0.43 g/kg, 1.3 g/kg, and 3.9 g/kg, p.o.) was found to have no harmful effects on peripheral lymphocyte DNA. P. multiflorum (3.9 g/kg and 11.7 g/kg), on the other hand, did have harmful effects on peripheral lymphocyte DNA on the first, third and seventh day as demonstrated by changes in tail DNA, olive moment, tail length, and/or tail moment. The combination of these two herbs (5.2 g/kg and 15.6 g/kg) induced harmful effects on peripheral lymphocyte DNA on the first day, as observed in tail DNA , tail length, tail moment and/or olive moment. However, these harmful effects diminished on the third and seventh days. These results demonstrated that in vivo administered P. ginseng, but not P. mulitiflorum , is not genotoxic on peripheral lymphocyte DNA and that their combination may decrease potential genotoxic effects induced by P. multiflorum . This suggests a rationale for the use of this combination of herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine.