TY - EJOU
AU - FRESCURA, VIVIANE DAL-SOUTO
AU - KUHN, ANDRIELLE WOUTERS
AU - IV, HAYWOOD DAIL LAUGHINGHOUSE
AU - PARANHOS, JUÇARA TEREZINHA
AU - TEDESCO, SOLANGE BOSIO
TI - Post-treatment with plant extracts used in Brazilian folk medicine caused a partial reversal of the antiproliferative effect of glyphosate in the Allium cepa test
T2 - BIOCELL
PY - 2013
VL - 37
IS - 2
SN - 1667-5746
AB - Species of the genus Psychotria are used for multiple purposes in Brazilian folk medicine, either
as water infusions, baths or poultices. This study was aimed to evaluate the genotoxic and antiproliferative
effects of infusions of Psychotria brachypoda and P. birotula on the Allium cepa test. Exposure to distilled
water was used as a negative control, while exposure to glyphosate was used as a positive control. The interaction of extracts (as a post-treatment) with the effects of glyphosate was also studied. Results showed that
glyphosate and the extracts of both P. brachypoda and P. birotula reduced the mitotic index as compared with
the negative control (distilled water). Surprisingly, however, both extracts from P. brachypoda and P. birotula
caused a partial reversal of the antiproliferative effect of glyphosate when used as a post-treatment. Glyphosate also induced the highest number of cells with chromosomal alterations, which was followed by that of
P. birotula extracts. However, the extracts from P. brachypoda did not show any signifi cant genotoxic effect.
Post-treatment of glyphosate-treated samples with distilled water allowed a partial recovery of the genotoxic
effect of glyphosate, and some of the Psychotria extracts also did so. Notably, post-treatment of glyphosatetreated samples with P. brachypoda extracts induced a statistically signifi cant apoptotic effect. It is concluded
that P. brachypoda extracts show antiproliferative effects and are not genotoxic, while extracts of P. birotula
show a less potent antiproliferative effect and may induce chromosomal abnormalities. The finding of a partial
reversion of the effects of glyphosate by a post-treatment with extracts from both plants should be followed up.
KW - medicinal plants
KW - Psychotria brachypoda
KW - Psychotria birotula
KW - cell proliferation
KW - apoptosis
DO - 10.32604/biocell.2013.37.023