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Higher plants, an important material for genetic tests to monitor various pollutant present in the environment. Among the plant species, Alium cepa has been used to evaluate chromosome aberrations and disturbances in the mitotic cycle. Now days, it has been used to assess a great number of genotoxic/antigenotoxic agents, which contributes to its increasing application in environmental monitoring. The A. cepa is commonly used as a test organism because it is cheap, easily available and handled and has advantages over other short-term tests. Among the endpoints of A. cepa root chromosomal aberrations, detection of chromosomal aberration have been the most used one to detect genotoxicity/ antigenotoxicity along the years. The mitotic index and chromosomal abnormalities are used to evaluate genotoxicity and micronucleus analysis used to verify mutagenicity of different chemicals. The Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay is widely used to determine genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of different plant extracts.

Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is a potent nephrotoxic agent. In this paper, we report the chemopreventive effect ofNigella sativa (black cumin) on KBrO3-mediated renal oxidative stress, toxicity and tumor promotion response in rats. KBrO3 (125 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) enhances lipid peroxidation, g-glutamyl transpeptidase, hydrogen peroxide and xanthine oxidase with reduction in the activities of renal antioxidant enzymes and renal glutathione content. A marked increase in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine has also been observed. KBrO3 treatment also enhances ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and [3H] thymidine incorporation into renal DNA. Prophylaxis of rats orally with Nigella sativaextract (50 mg/kg body weight and 100 mg/kg body weight) resulted in a significant decrease in renal microsomal lipid peroxidation (P B-00.001), g-glutamyl transpeptidase (P B-0.001), H2O2 (P B-0.001) and xanthine oxidase (P B-0.05). There was significant recovery of renal glutathione content (P B-0.01) and antioxidant enzymes (P B-0.001). There was also reversal in the enhancement of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, renal ODC activity and DNA synthesis (P B-0.001). Data suggest that Nigella sativa is a potent chemopreventive agent and may suppress KBrO3-mediated renal oxidative stress, toxicity and tumour promotion response in rats.

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In the present study, methanol and aqueous extracts of Parkinsonia aculeata L. leaves were prepared and analyzed for phytochemical analysis and antioxidant potential in different in vitro assays. Antioxidant activity was studied using DPPH, CUPRAC, reducing power assay, deoxyribose degradation (site and nonsite specific), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), ferric thiocyanate (FTC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and molybdate ion reduction, respectively. The total phenolic contents of the methanol and aqueous leaf extract were 39 mg GAE/g and 38 mg GAE/g, whereas flavonoid contents of these extracts were found to be 0.013 mg RE/g and 0.006 mg RE/g, respectively. From the two extracts, the methanol extract shows maximum inhibition (%) of 57.82%, 71.23%, 48.26%, 69.85%, and 52.78% in DPPH, nonsite- and site-specific, FTC, and TBA assays and absorbance of 0.669 and 0.241 in reducing power and CUPRAC assays at the highest concentration tested. UPLC analysis was done to determine the presence of various types of polyphenols present in plant extracts.