Análise do potencial citogenotóxico de Malva sylvestris L. e Malva parviflora L.

Abstract

Treatments with medicinal plants are part of the culture of many regions of the world. However, it is essential to study their effect on the human organism, and cytogenetics is a good tool for these investigations. The Allium cepa test is an excellent alternative that is used as a bioindicator of genotoxicity of plant extracts. Species of the Malvaceae family, such as Malva sylvestris L. and Malva parviflora L. are used by the general population as antifungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and others. The objective of the study was to analyze their cytogenotoxic potential. This research was done in two articles: the first one consisted in the cultivation of 44 M. parviflora seedlings, between November and December 2020, for 36 days in a greenhouse. The seedlings were divided into two groups: one protected with 70% Sombrite and the other received the light that fell on the plastic greenhouse. After being harvested, half of the plants were stored in a freezer and the other half were dehydrated in a controlled environment. The cytogenotoxic potential analysis was performed using the A. cepa test, in which aqueous extracts of M. parviflora were prepared at a concentration of 5 g.L-1 , with the aerial part and roots of the plant, fresh and dry. The second article was carried out with M. sylvestris and M. parviflora in the period between April and May 2022, in the same greenhouse, and they were harvested after 38 days. Half of the plants were stored in a freezer and the other part was dried in a kiln. The analysis of the cytogenotoxic potential of aqueous extracts of these Malva species was carried out, prepared at concentrations of 5 g.L-1 and 15 g.L-1 from the aerial part and roots of the plants, half of them were fresh and the rest dehydrated. The antigenotoxic potential test was performed with the fresh aerial part, at 5 g.L-1 . For both articles, the methodology of the genotoxic test was the same: the A. cepa bulbs were placed to root in distilled water and then placed in the proper treatments. After 24 hours, the roots were harvested, placed in a fixative for another 24 hours and then stored in 70º alcohol in a refrigerator. The difference for the antigenotoxicity test was that the bulbs were first placed in contact with 1.5% glyphosate for 24 h, and then placed in treatments with aqueous extracts. The results of Article 1 showed that the aqueous extracts of M. parviflora tested at 5 g.L-1 exhibited antiproliferative activity, but are not genotoxic. Similar results were found in Article 2, in which aqueous extracts of M. sylvestris and M. parviflora are not genotoxic, but neither are antigenotoxic.