Cytotoxic potential and phytochemical profiling of Andrographis atropurpurea (Dennst.) Alston an endemic species from Southern Western Ghats

Abstract

Allium cepa is the most apt test organism for the preliminary cytological studies. In the present study A. cepa root tips were treated with different concentration of aqueous plant extract viz., 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1% at different time intervals (1/2h, 1h, 2h and 3h). Abnormality percentage incremented and mitotic index decremented with increase in the concentration of extract and time interval. Plant extract induced clastogenic, non clastogenic and cytoplasmic abnormalities. Presence of clastogenic abnormalities viz. nuclear lesion, nuclear erosion, chromosome stickiness, nuclear extrusion, nuclear disintegration, nuclear fragmentation,nuclear peak and cytoplasmic shrinkage designates the apoptotic potential of the plant extract. While spindle fibre abnormalities observed viz., C-metaphase, polyploidy, vagrants, partial C-metaphase, cytostasis, ball metaphase and stellate metaphase disclosed the C-mitotic efficacy of plant extract. Phytochemical profiling via GC-MS and HR/LC-MS analysis exposed the cytotoxic components of the plant extract.