Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of tridax procumbens L. In Allium cepa

Abstract

With increased consumption of medicinal plants in alternative treatments and the search for new compounds with biological activity, the need arose to investigate the toxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic potential of these compounds. Among many species, Tridax procumbens stands out for being a plant commonly used in folk medicine, finding varying reports of its use. This study was conducted to investigate cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of ethanolic, aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of this species and a phytochemical screening of different classes present in extract by HPLC-PAD. Allium cepa seedlings were exposed to extracts for 48 h. After this period, the seedlings were replaced in distilled water. Then the roots were hydrolyzed in hydrochloric acid (HCl) 1 N and stained with Schiff reactive. The roots were placed on slides, then was added a drop of 2% acetic carmine and covered with coverslips and were observed 5000 cells per treatment. It was found that different extracts led to a reduction in mitotic index when compared with negative control and still presented changes in death rate. In this context, results suggest that extracts of T. procumbens have inhibitory effect on mitosis and mutagens on cell division in root meristematic cells of A. cepa.