Having started in the 1930-40s, the industrial development of the Kola North has caused elevated environmental pollution of the area’s water bodies. The pollutants contained in dust emissions, dissolved substances and waste waters require their genotoxicity to be estimated using in vivo assays. This article addresses the effect of pollutants entering the water bodies of the Murmansk region together with mining waste, which leads to a decrease in mitotic activity and an increase in chromosomal abnormalities in the roots of Allium cepa L. The evaluated waters showed an effect of reducing the mitotic index and the appearance of chromosomal aberrations; this may be associated with the presence of compounds in the water, such as mining waste.

The plant Poligonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt is a promising plant in Murmansk region because it is a valuable source of flavonoid compounds. The aim of the study is to investigate, using a sensitive and the well-established Allium test, toxic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of inflorescences and leaves of the middle tier, which differ in concentration (20, 50, 80 and 100%). According to the observations, the 50%, 80% and 100% concentration aqueous extracts of inflorescences and leaves of P. weyrichii have a mitodepressive effect on the cells of the root meristem of Allium cepa L., and inhibit the root growth, causing chromosomal abnormalities. The further investigations are necessary on selection of such aqueous extracts concentrations of P. weyrichii because this plant is the source of biologically active compounds.

Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl is a perennial herbaceous plant widely distributed in the Northeastern states of the USA, Canada, Europe, Argentina and New Zealand. This plant is distributed on the Kola Peninsula. L. polyphyllus contains alkaloids, the main of which are lupanine, lupinine, and sparteine. The aim of the study was to determine the cytotoxicity of aqueous extracts of seeds of the studied plant and their effect on biomass growth by the Allium-test method. It was found that aqueous solutions of L. polyphillus seeds extract in concentrations 5 – 0.1325 %v/v doesn’t have an inhibitory effect on the mitosis of A. cepa root meristem cells but have a statistically significant effect of stimulating the growth of biomass A. cepa in a concentration of 5% v/v.

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The plant Ranunculus acris (L.) is widespread. It is used in folk medicine. The use of herbal medicines can have adverse effects on humans and requires studies of herbal raw materials for genotoxicity. The goals of the study were to examine the toxic and genotoxic effects of aqueous solutions of R. acris flowers at concentrations of 0.625%, 1.25%, 2.5%, 5% and 10% using the Allium test and to determine the numbers of flavonoids and polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts. It has been shown that aqueous solutions of buttercup flower extract have a depressing effect on mitosis in the cells of the root meristem of Allium cepa (L.) and cause chromosomal abnormalities (chromosomal stickiness, chromosome lagging, nuclear buds and bridges in anaphase).

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Heracleum sosnowskyi (Apiaceae) contains a lot of useful chemical ingredients that can be used in industry, medicine and other fields as plant component extracts and as chemical compounds that have been extracted in different ways, which requires the last to be tested for chemical safety, including a genotoxic test in vivo. In the present paper, the 96-hour effect of the H. sosnowskyi extract aqueous solution at concentrations of 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.50 mL/L on the genetic apparatus and mitotic activity of the cells of the Allium cepa (Alliaceae) root meristem is discussed. Distilled water was applied as a negative control, and hydrogen peroxide 1% as a positive one. The extract was prepared from the plant’s fresh leaves by soaking them in acetone. It was then distilled at 57 ºС and diluted with distilled water to obtain the experimental concentrations. As extract content in the aqueous solution increased, a statistically significant decrease in mitotic activity, an increase in aberrant cell percentage and a concentration-dependent inhibition of root growth were observed. In the 0.5 mL/L solution, if compared against the other experimental concentrations, an increase in the metaphase, anaphase and telophase indices along with a decrease in the prophase index were observed. The most common aberrations for all the concentrations were lagging and sticking chromosomes, anaphase bridges, ring chromosomes and nuclear buds. The same solution and the positive control produced membrane damage; giant and ghost cells. The results of the experiment performed have demonstrated the extract’s aneugenic effect that causes spindle disturbance, mitodepression and inhibits the cells of the Allium cepa root meristem, prevails over its clastogenic effect.

The Drosophila melanogaster organism is highly sensitive Biotester to mutagens or mutagenic carcinogens and can reveal mutations in both somatic and germ cells. The results of assessing the genotoxicity of snow samples from different inhabiled localities of Murmansk region – a region of with increased anthropogenic load – are shown in the article. In addition to the detection of genotoxic effects in different settlements, a highly significant correlation with the content of a number of metal ions in the samples, which makes the obtained results especially relevant.