Mutagenic potential of aqueous extract of Allium cepa L. on hematopoietic cells of Wistar rats

Abstract

Plants are widelyused by the population for several situations, whether in food, culinary or medicinal purposes. Therefore, the achievement oftestes is necessary to clarify to the population their beneficial or side effects, which may have mutagenic and/or carcinogenicaction. Thereby, the aim of this present research was to evaluate the mutagenic potential of Allium cepa aqueous extract, popularlyknown as onion. For analysis of the mutagenic effects, the bone marrow of Wistar rats, Rattus norvegicus, was used asa test system, being treated in vivo by way of gavage, through acute treatment (24 hours) with 0.5 mL of the test solution. Theanimals were divided into two groups consisting of three males and three females in each group, receiving the following treatment:water (negative control), cyclophosphamide (positive control) and two concentrations of Allium cepa aqueous extract. Ahundred metaphases/animal was analyzed, totaling 600 metaphases/group and the calculation of mitotic index was made from5.000 cells/sex, totaling 10.000 cells/group. The obtained results were compared within them and with the control ones throughthe chi-square test. It was observed that there was no significant change in the cell division rates, as well as in the number ofchromosomal alterations in any of the treatments used. Therefore, on this type, treatment time and tested concentrations, Alliumcepa aqueous extract did not demonstrate neither cytotoxic nor clastogenic effect on the test system employed.