The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts
In establishing the safety or tolerability profile of bioactive plant extracts, it is important to perform toxicity studies using appropriate, accessible, and sustainable methods. The <i>Allium cepa</i> model is well known and frequently used for accurate environmental risk assessments,...
| Published in: | Methods and Protocols |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/8/4/88 |
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| author | Daniela Nicuță Luminița Grosu Oana-Irina Patriciu Roxana-Elena Voicu Irina-Claudia Alexa |
| author_facet | Daniela Nicuță Luminița Grosu Oana-Irina Patriciu Roxana-Elena Voicu Irina-Claudia Alexa |
| author_sort | Daniela Nicuță |
| collection | DOAJ |
| container_title | Methods and Protocols |
| description | In establishing the safety or tolerability profile of bioactive plant extracts, it is important to perform toxicity studies using appropriate, accessible, and sustainable methods. The <i>Allium cepa</i> model is well known and frequently used for accurate environmental risk assessments, as well as for evaluating the toxic potential of the bioactive compounds of plant extracts. The present review focuses on this in vivo cytogenetic model, highlighting its widespread utilization and advantages as a first assessment in monitoring the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of herbal extracts, avoiding the use of animals for testing. This plant-based assay allows for the detection of the possible cytotoxic and genotoxic effects induced on onion meristematic cells. The outcomes of the <i>Allium cepa</i> assay are comparable to other tests on various organisms, making it a reliable screening test due to its simplicity in terms of implementation, as well as its high sensitivity and reproducibility. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2f60cc331bd444ad85d9a1ded93bf4eb |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| issn | 2409-9279 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| spelling | doaj-art-2f60cc331bd444ad85d9a1ded93bf4eb2025-08-27T14:47:41ZengMDPI AGMethods and Protocols2409-92792025-08-01848810.3390/mps8040088The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant ExtractsDaniela Nicuță0Luminița Grosu1Oana-Irina Patriciu2Roxana-Elena Voicu3Irina-Claudia Alexa4Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărășești, 600115 Bacău, RomaniaDepartment of Chemical and Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărășești, 600115 Bacău, RomaniaDepartment of Chemical and Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărășești, 600115 Bacău, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărășești, 600115 Bacău, RomaniaDepartment of Chemical and Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, 157, Calea Mărășești, 600115 Bacău, RomaniaIn establishing the safety or tolerability profile of bioactive plant extracts, it is important to perform toxicity studies using appropriate, accessible, and sustainable methods. The <i>Allium cepa</i> model is well known and frequently used for accurate environmental risk assessments, as well as for evaluating the toxic potential of the bioactive compounds of plant extracts. The present review focuses on this in vivo cytogenetic model, highlighting its widespread utilization and advantages as a first assessment in monitoring the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of herbal extracts, avoiding the use of animals for testing. This plant-based assay allows for the detection of the possible cytotoxic and genotoxic effects induced on onion meristematic cells. The outcomes of the <i>Allium cepa</i> assay are comparable to other tests on various organisms, making it a reliable screening test due to its simplicity in terms of implementation, as well as its high sensitivity and reproducibility.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/8/4/88plant extractsin vivo test<i>Allium cepa</i> L.toxicity potential |
| spellingShingle | Daniela Nicuță Luminița Grosu Oana-Irina Patriciu Roxana-Elena Voicu Irina-Claudia Alexa The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts plant extracts in vivo test <i>Allium cepa</i> L. toxicity potential |
| title | The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts |
| title_full | The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts |
| title_fullStr | The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts |
| title_full_unstemmed | The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts |
| title_short | The <i>Allium cepa</i> Model: A Review of Its Application as a Cytogenetic Tool for Evaluating the Biosafety Potential of Plant Extracts |
| title_sort | i allium cepa i model a review of its application as a cytogenetic tool for evaluating the biosafety potential of plant extracts |
| topic | plant extracts in vivo test <i>Allium cepa</i> L. toxicity potential |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/8/4/88 |
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