Seasonal Variation of Antimutagenic Effects in \u3cem\u3eArtemisia tridentata\u3c/em\u3e

Recently, there has been more investigation and scientific studies in the medicinal properties of plants as an alternative to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. The genus Artemisia has been used traditionally by Native Americans or First Nations people as an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic, gastrointestinal or immunostimulatory treatment to cure several afflictions. In addition, it is being known that extracts from these plants have modest antimutagenic effects; e.g. Artemisia campestris var. glutinosa Gay ex Bess or Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) have certain biological active compounds that are highly effective in reducing the mutagenicity caused by the indirect mutagen benzo[a]pyrene. The antimutagenic effect of A. campestris oil is due to some major compounds as α-pinene, limonene, p-cymene, α-terpinene and myrcene, whereas the antimutagenic properties of A. herba-alba may be associated mainly to pinocarvone, α-copaene and limonene. However, not all species have been investigated, and it is not known if all species belonging to Artemisia genus have the same antimutagenic properties. For that reason, I will carry out an investigation to test whether or not one species of this genus (Artemisia tridentata) have the same antimutagenic effects. Artemisia tridentata, commonly called big sagebrush, has shown to respond differently to herbivory and volatile communication depending on the season of the year. Previous research claims there exists a seasonal variation of the monoterpenoid content in this plant and, moreover, the arthropod diversity and abundance on big sagebrush also differ seasonally. This evidence suggests that this plant undergoes various changes at the phytochemical and physical level during the year. Taking all of this into consideration, I am going to compare the antimutagenic activity of aerial parts of Artemisia tridentata throughout the seasons of the year. The methodology will be the following; Firstly, the methanol extraction of aerial parts of Artemisia tridentata will be carried out. Then, this extract will be tested on histidine dependent Salmonella typhimurium strains via the Ames test. The mutagenic capacity will be evaluated in relation to the number of colonies capable of growing in his- plates. This procedure will be repeated for every season of the year. Lastly, the results of all extractions will be compared, and conclusions will be drawn. Hopefully, I can shed some light on the possible phytochemical changes this plant endures