Clerodendrum inerme is traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases including cancer. The present study aimed to analyze colchicine like metaphase (c-metaphase) and cell cycle delay-inducing effects of the leaf aqueous extract of C. inerme (LAECI) in onion root tip cells. Onion root growth retardation, mitotic index reduction, decreased anaphase, and telophase cumulative frequencies were analyzed for LAECI induced cell cycle delay. The LAECI (1-8 mg mL 1 ) induced a concentration-dependent onion root growth retardation (p 0.01), increased c-metaphase frequency at 4 h treatment, and 4 h treatment +16 h recovery in water. The LAECI could induce a reduction rate of transition from metaphase to anaphase, decreased percentage of anaphase-telophase cumulative frequency, root tip swelling and that was comparable with the colchicine action. In summary, LAECI contains secondary metabolites having c-metaphase and cell cycle delay-inducing effects in onion root tip cells.

Clerodendrum inerme is a traditionally used medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The present study aimed to analyze the mitotic abnormality-inducing potentials of the leaf aqueous extract of C. inerme (LAECI) on Allium cepa root tip cells. The 48-h aged A. cepa roots were treated with LAECI (2, 4, and 8 mg mL 1 ) for 2 and 4 h and also allowed to recover up to 16 h and compared with the standard colchicine (0.4 mg mL 1 ) actions. The cytological study revealed that both the LAECI and colchicine treatments induced mitotic abnormalities like sticky and vagrant chromosomes, anaphase bridge, multipolar anaphasetelophase, etc. The present study indicates that the LAECI contains bioactive substances having colchicine-like mitotic abnormality-inducing effects on A. cepa root tip cells.

Scutellaria discolor Colebr. (Family Lamiaceae, common name: bicolor skullcap) is a traditionally used medicinal plant. The present study aimed to analyze cell cycle delay and colchicine like metaphase (c-metaphase) inducing effects of aqueous extract of S. discolor herb (AESD) in onion, Allium cepa, root apical meristem cells. Onion root growth retardation, mitotic index, dividing cell frequencies, and c-metaphase frequency were analyzed after AESD treatment. The AESD induced a concentration-dependent onion root growth retardation, increased metaphase and c-metaphase frequency, reduced subsequent transition from metaphase to anaphase, and that was comparable with the colchicine action. In summary, AESD may contain colchicine like secondary metabolites having cell cycle delay and c-metaphase inducing effects in onion root tip cells, indicating its perspective use in the field of medicine, karyotyping, and cytotoxicity studies.

Scadoxus multiflorus is a traditionally used medicinal plant, widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to South Africa and in some places of Saudi Arabia and India. The present study aimed to analyze antimitotic and cytotoxic effects of leaf aqueous extract of S. multiflorus (LAESM) in Allium cepa root apical meristem cells. The root growth retardation, mitotic index (MI), cytological and mitotic abnormalities were analyzed in A. cepa root apical meristem cells after LAESM treatment. The LAESM induced a concentration-dependent A. cepa root growth retardation, MI decreased to a large extent in the treated samples. The LAESM induced mitotic, nuclear, and chromosomal abnormalities in A. cepa root tip cells. Thus, the present work indicates for the first time antimitotic and cytotoxic potentials of leaf aqueous extract of S. multiflorus.

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