Antimutagenic and in vivo antitumor effects of doenjang (hexane, methanol and boiling
extracts) were studied by using Ames test, SOS chromotest and Sarcoma-180 tumor
cell-transplanted mice. The hexane, methanol and boiling extracts from doenjang
showed strong antimutagenic activities (90～91% inhibition) toward aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)
in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. In SOS chromotest using Escherichia coli
PQ37, the extracts also exhibited strong antimutagenicity toward N-methyl-N'-nitro-Nnitrosoguanidine
(MNNG). The solid tumor growth was inhibited when 5 mg/kg of the
hexane, methanol and boiling extracts were administrated to the Balb/c mice by 64.0,
79.3 and 49.7%, respectively and the life span (prolongation effects) of the mice
increased by 58.2%, 66.3% and 38.9%, respectively, showing the methanol extract was
the highest effect. Spleen index, a marker for immunological activity, increased in the
mice administrated the doenjang extracts compared to the control group. The
phagocytic activity of the mice increased about twice by the treatment of the hexane
extract. The nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction rate in the peritoneal phagocytic cells
of the mice also increased about 3 times when the hexane extract was treated.

Keywords: Doenjang, Antimutagenicity, Sarcoma-180 cells, Antitumor, Phagocytic
acitivity