Antigenotoxic and Antimutagenic Potentials of Proline in Allium cepa Exposed to the Toxicity of Cadmium

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate whether the application of proline as a potential osmoprotectant at different doses could improve the genotoxic and mutagenic effects caused by plant exposure to cadmium salts. For this purpose, the Comet assay was used, which allows the rapid detection of DNA damage shortly after its occurrence, before the DNA is repaired, as well as the discrimination of the DNA damage limited to specific cells in a heterogeneous population. After treatment of Allium cepa roots with 75µM CdSO4·H2O (Cd sample), a DNA percentage of 35.24% was recorded in the tail. In the samples treated first with proline and then with cadmium (pre-treatment group), the percentage DNA in the tail was reduced by 24.8% compared with the Cd sample. Instead, in the post-treatment group (samples treated first with cadmium and then with proline), the percentage DNA in the tail was reduced by 69.04% compared with the Cd sample. All cadmium treatments induced chromosomal aberrations (CAs). Compared with the CAs values obtained after Cd treatment, the reduction was 75.6% in the pre-treatment group and 55.39% in the post-treatment group. The results of this study highlighted that exogenous application of proline alleviated the genotoxic effect of cadmium.

Characterization in Terms of Phytochemical Content and Medicinal Potential of the Stellaria media Plant Extract

“…To identify the most efficient extraction method for the phenolic compounds present in the S. media plant, the HPLC-DAD-ESI method was used and the chromatograms for the two types of extracts at two different wavelengths are presented in Following the interpretation of the chromatograms presented in Figure 2, the main phenolic compounds present in both types of extracts of the S. media plant were identified, and these are presented and quantified in Table 2. Through HPLC-DAD-ESI analysis, apigenin was identified in conjugated forms with different sugar residues: Apigeninapiosyl-glucosides (4), Apigenin-diglucosides (5), Apigenin-apiosyl-glucosyl-glucosides (6), Apigenin-glucosides (9), Apigenin-glucuronides (11). Luteolin derivatives such as: Luteolin-rutinoside (3), Luteolin-rhamnoside ( 7), Luteolin-malonylglucoside (8), Luteolin-glucuronide (10) were also identified.…”

“…This is popularly called chickweed and is part of the Caryophyllaceae family along with other plants such as Stellaria alsine, Stellaria pallida, Stellaria dichotoma, Stellaria nemorum, Stellaria holostea [7,8]. Until now, this Stellaria species is considered to be beneficial in the form of ethanolic, methanolic, and aqueous extracts or even consumed in the daily diet in various conditions such as lung diseases (asthma, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, lung cancer), cancer, skin diseases (burns, cuts, scratches having a healing effect) [9][10][11].…”

Cytological Applications of the Vacuolization Phenomenon as a Means of Determining Saline Cytotoxicity

“…Current research indicates a correlation between the increased accumulation of ROS and programmed cell death (PCD) in response to the effect caused by saline solutions [18,19]. A cytological phenomenon correlated with abiotic or biotic stress in plant cells has been observed in the form of irreversible vacuolization of the cells.…”