Publication Details
Abstract
Medicinal plants play an important role in traditional and modern medicine due to their wide range of pharmacological properties. Despite their therapeutic value, some plant-derived compounds may exhibit cytotoxic or genotoxic effects depending on their chemical composition and concentration (Wink, 2010; Cowan, 1999; Ali et al., 2021). Therefore, evaluating the safety of medicinal plants has become an important component of toxicological research.
The Allium cepa assay is widely used as a reliable biological system for detecting cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Onion root meristematic cells divide rapidly and respond sensitively to chemical exposure (Fiskesjö, 1985; Leme & Marin-Morales, 2009; Silva et al., 2020)., making them suitable indicators of chromosomal damage and DNA alterations.
The emergence and disappearance of bundles in the genome of onion plant Allium cepa .
In this study, the genetic toxicity of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Alhagi maurorum was investigated using onion (Allium cepa) root tip cells. Aqueous extract concentrations included 15%, 20%, 25%, 35%, and 45%, while alcoholic extract concentrations included 2%, 3%, 4%, 6%, and 8%. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis was applied to detect possible DNA alterations associated with exposure to these plant extracts (Williams et al., 1990; Atienzar & Jha, 2006; Iqbal et al., 2020).