Potencial genotóxico, citotóxico e compostos fenólicos de extratos aquosos de Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb. cultivada sob duas condições de luminosidade

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants as disease prevention and treatment is one of the oldest forms of medical practice. One of the plants of great medicinal interest is Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb., Popularly known as leafflower. It is a small plant, belonging to the Phyllanthaceae family. Its medicinal properties are related to the diuretic, hypoglycemic, analgesic action, treatment of liver infections and, mainly, urinary tract problems, in addition to antimicrobial action. Studies related to the chemical composition of plants and the genotoxic action are extremely important, because, although some substances have beneficial effects associated with the therapeutic effect of the plant, some of these substances can cause damage to health. Among the substances found in plants, phenolic compounds can be highlighted, which are also related to the medicinal action of P. tenellus. One of the ways to evaluate the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of medicinal plants is through the Allium cepa test, which assesses the cell proliferation index and the chromosomal aberrations found in the roots of A. cepa. The objective of this research was to analyze the genotoxic and cytotoxic action of aqueous extracts of P. tenellus grown under two light conditions, to carry out a preliminary analysis of the groups of compounds and to evaluate the concentration of total polyphenols, flavonoids and total tannins by spectrophotometry. The experiment took place in a controlled environment and the plants were divided into two groups: with and without shading, each containing 40 plants, grown under these conditions for 30 days. For the A. cepa test, extracts of the aerial part of P. tenellus were prepared in three concentrations of 5 g L-1, 10 g L-1 and 15 g L-1 for both treatments, as negative control to distilled water and control positive the glyphosate 1.5%, the mitotic index and the index of cellular alterations were analyzed. Using spectrophotometry, the presence of total polyphenols, flavonoids and total tannins was evaluated for extracts of 15 g L-1. And in the preliminary analysis of extracts of 15 g L-1, the presence of saponin, anthocyanin, cyanogenetics, condensable and hydrolyzable tannins and the presence of aminogroups were found. We conclude that P. tenellus extracts have cytotoxic activity, inhibiting cell division and have no genotoxic action. It was observed that the group without shading had a higher concentration of total polyphenols, total tannins and flavonoids. In the preliminary analysis, the presence of anthocyanin, saponin heterosides, condensable and hydrolyzable tannins, aminogroups.