Genotoxic potential of aqueous extracts of<i>Artemisia verlotorum</i>on the cell cycle of<i>Allium cepa</i>

Abstract

Artemisia verlotorum, popularly ‘infalivina’, is a medicinal herb used for respiratory, circulatory and digestive treatments. Antiproliferative and genotoxic effects of A. verlotorum aqueous extracts in three different concentrations (6, 32 and 48 g/L) were evaluated on the Allium cepa cell cycle. Results clearly showed a significant difference using the χ2 test (p = 0.05) among treatments with a decrease in the mitotic index as the concentration of the extract increased. Extracts of A. verlotorum proved to be genotoxic and showed antiproliferative potential on the A. cepa cell cycle. This study suggests the use of infusions of A. verloturum for medicinal purposes only after selecting suitable concentrations.