Toxic and mutagenic effect of biologically active substances from Limonium gmelinii (family Plumbaginaceae ( Limoniaceae Lincz.)

Abstract

It was obtained biologically active substances (BAS) of the underground and above-ground parts of plants Limonium gmelinii (Willd.) Kuntze (family Plumbaginaceae). Purity indicators (moisture, total ash); extractive substance indicators by different polarities solvents, amino acid and fatty acid composition from Limonium gmelinii was determined. The maim groups of biologically active substances was identified  using one- and Two Dimensional Techniques in Paper Chromatography, thin layer chromatographic separation. Comparative analysis of quantitative data on the content of the main groups of biologically active substances in the underground and above-ground parts of Limonium gmelinii shows commensurability in them tannins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, coumarin, carotenoids and saponin. The results indicate the feasibility of a comprehensive study of these plants as a whole, which is advantageous from an economic point of view. Thereby it have possibility of using both above-ground and underground parts of the test plants. The highest content of different tannins and oxidized forms of flavonoids, structural features which are quite similar and so they are synergistic by physiological action. This combination of two important groups of biologically active agents will provide the pharmacological activity of the test plants and allocated based on these substances. Toxic and mutagenic effects of biologically active substances from the above-ground and below-ground parts of plants Limonium gmelinii was studied by barley seed germination test and barley root tip chromosome aberration assay. It is found that the biologically active substances in the concentrations (25.0, 50.0 and 100.0 mg/l) had no phytotoxic and mutagenic action .Barley seed was treated with aqueous solutions of biologically active substances from the underground and above-ground parts of Limonium gmelinii at all concentrations. This treatment  did not reduce their germinating ability of seeds as compared to control plants grown in distilled water. Germination of seeds treated with aqueous solutions of mutagen methyl methanesulfonate (MMS, classical mutagen) at concentrations of 1.0 and 5.0 mg / L, was 86.73% and 74.33%, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the germination of seeds treated with the concentrations of MMS, respectively,  fell 1.08 (not statistically significant) and 1,26 (p<0.01) times as compared with the control. The frequency of structural chromosome aberrations and the number of chromosomal aberrations per 100 metaphases in root tip cells of  barley seeds treated with aqueous solutions of biologically active substances, did not significantly differ from untreated seeds. At the same time, the classical mutagen methyl methanesulfonate, using as a positive control, increased the studied parameters in several times not only compared with the control, but also the seeds treated with aquatic solutions of the biologically active substances.