Differential effect of manool – A diterpene from Salvia officinalis, on genotoxicity induced by methyl methanesulfonate in V79 and HepG2 cells

Salvia officinalis (sage) is a perennial woody subshrub native to the Mediterranean region that is commonly used as a condiment and as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial agent due to its biological activities. Manool is the most abundant micro-metabolite found in Salvia officinalis essential oils and extracts. We therefore decided to evaluate the cytotoxic, genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of manool in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79) and human hepatoma cells (HepG2). Cytotoxicity was assessed by the colony-forming assay in V79 cells and toxic effects were observed at concentrations of up to 8.0 μg/mL. The micronucleus test was used to evaluate the genotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of manool in V79 and HepG2 cells at concentrations of 0.5–6.0 μg/mL and 0.5–8.0 μg/mL, respectively. For evaluation of antigenotoxicity, the concentrations of manool were combined with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS, 44 μg/mL). The results showed a significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei in cultures of both cell lines treated with the highest concentration tested, demonstrating a genotoxic effect. On the other hand, manool exhibited a protective effect against chromosome damage induced by MMS in HepG2 cells, but not in V79 cells. These data suggest that some manool metabolite may be responsible for the antigenotoxic effect observed in HepG2 cells.