Evaluation of Cytotoxic and Mitodepressive Activity of Aqueous Extracts from Thirteen Argentine Medicinal Plants

CLAUDIO J. BIDAU, ANÍBAL G. AMAT, MARTA E. YAJIA, DARDO A. MARTI, MABEL D. GIMENEZ, ANA G. RIGLOS, AURELIO SILVESTRONI, GUILLERMO M. TORRES & EMILIANO FUMAGALLI

ACTA FARM. BONAERENSE

Departamento Científico del Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Lugar: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Año: 2006 vol. 25 p. 555 - 559

0326-2383

Thirteen vascular plant species used in argentine folk medicine were studied in order to evaluate the cytotoxic and mitodepressive activity of their aqueous extracts at different concentrations, using both the Artemia salina Test and the Allium Test. No cytotoxic activity was observed for analyzed extracts with the Artemia salina Test, and in relation to macroscopic parameters of general toxicity, all species exhibited negative albeit non-significant correlations between average root length and extract concentration in the Allium Test. Frequency of root macroscopic abnormalities and average root length showed significant or highly significant negative correlations in all but two of the analyzed species which nevertheless exhibited comparable negative trends, indicating a concentration effect. In almost all assayed samples a Cmitotic effects of the extracts was observed since the mitotic index decreased and mitotic abnormalities increased with increasing extract concentrations. Clastogenic activity was not found in the analyzed extracts.