Investigation of protective effects of erythrina velutina extract against MMS induced damages in the root meristem cells of allium cepa

Erythrina velutina Willd., Fabaceae, is a medicinal plant that can be found in the tropics and subtropics, including in the semi-arid northeastern Brazil. It is commonly used in folk medicine to treat anxiety, agitation and insomnia. E. velutina has been known to present analgesic, anti-infl ammatory and antibacterial activities, however, it is unknown if this plant present a protective effect on DNA. We assessed the antigenotoxic effect of E. velutina against the genotoxic effects induced by MMS in the root meristem cells of Allium cepa. Three concentrations of the aqueous extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/L) of this medicinal plant were used in three different types of treatment (pre-, post- and simultaneous). The effects of the extracts on the root meristem cells of A. cepa were analyzed at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. Protective effects were observed at higher concentrations in pre-treatment and in simultaneous treatment. The results suggest that E. velutina may present antigenotoxic properties and demonstrate its chemopreventive potential

Cytogenetic study of Leptodactylus fuscus and L. latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga scrublands

A família Leptodactylidae apresenta números diplóides que variam de 2n = 18 a 2n = 26, porém, na maioria dos gêneros descritos na literatura, há uma predominância de cariótipos com 2n = 22. Neste trabalho foram analisados citogeneticamente 52 exemplares de Leptodactylus fuscus e Leptodactylus latrans coletados pela primeira vez no estado de Sergipe, norte do Brasil, nos municípios de Carira, Poço Redondo e Tobias Barreto, por meio de técnicas de coloração convencional, Banda C e Ag-RON, empregadas em preparações do epitélio intestinal. Os dados mostraram que as espécies aqui analisadas apresentaram padrões cariotípicos muito similares, sem evidência de marcadores específicos das espécies. Contudo, algumas variações de morfologia cromossômica e bandas C observadas divergiram de cariótipos já descritos na literatura e podem indicar diferenças cromossômicas geográficas intraespecíficas para ambas as espécies.Frogs in the family Leptodactylidae have diploid chromosome numbers ranging from 2n = 18 to 2n = 26, although there is a predominance of 2n = 22 karyotypes. In the present sudy, 52 specimens of Leptodactylus latrans were obtained from three muncipalities (Carira. Poço Redondo, and Tobias Barreto) of the Brazilian state of Sergipe for karyotype analysis using conventional Giemsa staining techniques, and C- and Ag-NOR banding of the chromosomes obtained from the intestinal epithelium. The results of this study show that the individuals analyzed have highly similar karyotypes, with no evidence of any pronounced species-specific markers. However, some differences were observed in the chromosome morphology and C-bands in comparison with the karyotypes described previously for these species, with may represent intraspecific geographic variation in both taxa