Mitotic abnormality inducing effects of leaf aqueous extract of clerodendrum inerme gaertn. On allium cepa root apical meristem cells

Abstract

Clerodendrum inerme is a traditionally used medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The present study aimed to analyze the mitotic abnormality-inducing potentials of the leaf aqueous extract of C. inerme (LAECI) on Allium cepa root tip cells. The 48-h aged A. cepa roots were treated with LAECI (2, 4, and 8 mg mL-1) for 2 and 4 h and also allowed to recover up to 16 h and compared with the standard colchicine (0.4 mg mL-1) actions. The cytological study revealed that both the LAECI and colchicine treatments induced mitotic abnormalities like sticky and vagrant chromosomes, anaphase bridge, multipolar anaphasetelophase, etc. The present study indicates that the LAECI contains bioactive substances having colchicine-like mitotic abnormality-inducing effects on A. cepa root tip cells.