Chemical investigation of different extracts and essential oil from the tubers of (Tunisian) Cyperus rotundus. Correlation with their antiradical and antimutagenic properties

The mutagenic potential of aqueous, Total Oligomers Flavonoids (TOF), ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts as well as essential oil (EO) obtained from tubers of Cyperus rotundus L. was assessed by Ames assay, using Salmonella tester strains TA98 and TA100, and SOS chromotest using Escherichia coli PQ37 strain with and without an exogenous metabolic activation system (S9). None of the different extracts showed a mutagenic effect. Likewise, the antimutagenicity of the same extracts was tested using the Ames test and the SOS chromotest. Our results showed that C. rotundus; extracts have antimutagenic effects with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains towards the mutagen Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), as well as with E. coli PQ37 strain against AFB1 and nifuroxazide mutagens. A free radical scavenging test was used in order to explore the antioxidant capacity of the extracts obtained from the tubers of C. rotundus. TOF, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. These extracts showed IC50 values of respectively 5. 20 and 65 mu g/ml. The beneficial effects of TOF, ethyl acetate, methanol and essential oil extracts of C. rotundus have been assessed by antioxidant and antimutagenic activities.