Comparative study of mutagenic potential of Plumbago zeylanica L and Nigella sativa L

Abstract

In this study, the mutagenic potential of two medicinal plant extracts, plumbago zeylanica and Nigella sativa, was investigated by the in vitro Allium cepa test and the in vivo micronucleus test. The Allium cepa assay was used to test the potential genotoxicity of the extracts from both plants. Three concentrations of each extract were used in the test: 50, 100, and 150 mg/ml. The genotoxic effects of the two plant extracts were evaluated regarding their ability to inhibit the root growth of onion bulbs. The change in mitotic index was used to evaluate the genotoxic potential of the extracts. Our findings indicate that both the plant extracts are mitodepressive, and genotoxic to Allium cepa. In the micronucleus test, a single i.p.injection of Plumbago zeylanica and Nigella sativa plant extracts at dosages of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, 24 hours prior to the administration of Cisplatin (at a dose of 6 mg/kg), significantly reduced micronucleus formation in mouse bone marrow cells when compared to the Cisplatin group. Our findings imply that plant extract can protect Swiss albino mice bone marrow cells against micronucleus formation caused by Cisplatin. In phytochemical analysis, we have found that in both plants there are a good amount of biotic compounds, but Nigella sativa has more potential compared to Plumbago zeylanica. In a comparative study of both plants, it has been found that the mitotic index of Nigella sativa is lower than that of Plumbago zeylanica.Nigella sativa has a low mitotic index, which means that it is more effective in comparison to Plumbago zeylanica. Both plant extracts inhibit cisplatin-induced clastogenesity, but Nigella sativa extract has greater clastogenic potency than Plumbago zeylanica extract. newline