Aberration Assay

Summary The clastogenic effect of the A. populnea leaves extract was tested in vivo on bone mar-row cells of Wistar rats by evaluating the induction of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in-duction on polychromatic erythrocytes. The extract was administered by gavage at doses of 300, 600 and 900 mg/kg body weight. Experimental and control animals were submitted to euthanasia 24 h after the treatment. Under the conditions used, A. populnea leaves extract did not induce decrease in mitotic index and did not induce a statistically significant increase in the mean number of micronu-cleated polychromatic erythrocytes or chromosome aberrations in the bone marrow cells of Wistar rats. Key words Austroplenckia populnea, Celastraceae, Micronucleus test, Chromosome aberrations. Interest in the medicinal properties of natural products has increased due to their popular use in traditional medicine. Austroplenckia populnea (Reiss) Lundell is a Brazilian Cerrado plant from Celastraceae family. This botanical family includes several plant species that have been widely used in traditional medicine for their antiulcerogenic, analgesic, male antifertility, antiinflammatory and other activities (Corrêa 1985). A. populnea is commonly known as “marmelinho do campo, mangabeira-brava, mangabarana and vime ” and it is a folk medicine used as an anti-dysenteric an