Musk Melon Root Extract (Cucumis Melo L.) Inhibits Mitosis and Growth of Meristematic Cells in the Allium Cepa Essay through Chromosomal Abnormalities
Background: The Musk melon, Cucumis melo, is an essential herbaceous plant species in Cameroon for its nutritional and ethnomedicinal values. Thus, roots of this plant are not edible but are used in treating many local ailments. To date, there has been no report on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the roots of Musk melon. Therefore, this study was to investigate the potential cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of the roots of C. melo using the Allium cepa assay. Allium bulbs were treated with six concentrations (0 µg/ml, five µg/ml, ten µg/ml, 20 µg/ml, 30 µg/ml, and 40 µg/ml) of aqueous extract of the roots of C. melo for 96 hours and distilled water was used as the control. Results: The results showed significant dose-dependent (p<0.05) inhibition of sprouting and growth of roots as well as mitodepressive effects on cell division in A. cepa root tip cells treated with aqueous extract of the roots of C. melo. The results also revealed a significant increase in the dose-dependent frequency of chromosome aberrations (Anaphase bridges, laggards, disorientation, sticky metaphase, and binucleation) in the A. cepa root tip cells. Conclusions: This study revealed that C. melo roots have a clastogenic effect on the root tip cells of A. cepa. The following research will test this extract on a few cancers induced in Wistar rats.
