Analysis of Antigenotoxicity induced by Tulsi extract on Allium cepa Grown in Slurry Water

Author: Nishi Chandra, Shalani Gupta, Anil Sirohi, R.S. Sengar, L.K. Gangwar, Bijendra Singh and Muzeev Ahmad

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Abstract

The use of industrial effluents and sewage sludge for agriculture has become a common practice in the world and India too. Many harmful metals and substances get transferred and accumulated in plant tissues from the soil, causing many problems and diseases in living organisms. Management of these abnormalities/ diseases with the medicinal plant is an ancient practice that has gained momentum in recent years. Aqueous extract of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) has long been used for the traditional management of cancer due to its antigenotoxic nature. Data on genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of are rather controversial, depending on the genetic system or the assay used. The genotoxicity profile of five different concentrations of slurry water (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%) and the antigenotoxic profile of three concentrations of aqueous extract of tulsi leaves (10%, 20% and 30%) were evaluated with genotoxicity assays by using root tip cells of Allium cepa plant. The parameters evaluated in the cytological assay were several cells in dividing stage, mitotic indices (MI), % mitodepressive (MD) effect, RDR and chromosomal aberrations (CA) on A. cepa roots. A decrease in mitotic index with increasing concentration of slurry water was observed but the reduction was not significant enough to deduce that the slurry water samples caused a decrease in the number of dividing cells. However higher concentrations of slurry water (i.e. 60%, 80% and 100%) were found to have a completely lethal effect as no root germination and growth was observed in onion bulbs treated with these three concentrations of slurry water. The antigenotoxic effect of aqueous extract of tulsi leaves (10%, 20% and 30%), on Allium cepa roots pretreated with 20 % and 40% concentrations of slurry water was also observed. A significant reduction in MI% was noticed with all three concentrations of aqueous extract of tulsi leaves in treated samples. A concentration-dependent increase in the antigenotoxic effect of tulsi extract was observed for an overall reduction in chromosomal abnormalities in both concentrations of slurry water-induced genotoxicity. In the present investigation response of slurry water and antigenotoxic potential of Ocimum sanctum has been evaluated for their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on Allium cepa. On the basis of our results, we can say that aqueous extract of tulsi has a protective effect on Allium cepa root meristem cells against the genotoxic effects produced by slurry water.

Keywords

Ocimum sanctum, antigenotoxic, genotoxicity, Allium cepa, mitotic indices, Mito depressive effect, RDR, chromosomal aberrations

Conclusion

The cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of wastewater discharges on receiving water bodies were confirmed in A. cepa root tip cells. The discharge of industrial effluent and municipal wastewater into local water bodies, which flow into the local river, may cause DNA damage and affect downstream organisms in general, including humans, due to accumulation in the food chain. Tulsi leaf aqueous extract contains a significant number of phytochemicals with high anticancer activity relevant to DNA protection. These findings suggest that this plant contains a significant amount of natural anticancer compounds, which may be useful in preventing various chromosomal activities and reverting abnormalities to a normal state. However, more isolation of bioactive compounds would help to determine their potency and safety as a lead candidate of antigenotoxic substances for pharmaceutical applications.

References

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How to cite this article

Nishi Chandra, Shalani Gupta, Anil Sirohi, R.S. Sengar, L.K. Gangwar, Bijendra Singh and Muzeev Ahmad (2022). Analysis of Antigenotoxicity induced by Tulsi extract on Allium cepa Grown in Slurry Water. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(4): 1086-1092.