Achyrocline saturoides (marcela) is used in Brazilian folk medicine as a tea in the treatment of digestive and inflammatory diseases. The anti-proliferative effect of infusions of marcela on onion cell cycle was evaluated by using the inflorescences of recently collected marcela and after the storage for 30 months. Marcela inflorescences were collected for the infusion preparations in 2003 and in 2005 (used still fresh). We prepared the infusions at two concentrations 5.0 mg/mL (concentration used as tea) and 20 mg/mL. We used two groups of six onion bulbs for each population of marcela, and one group of bulbs of each population was withdrawn as a control group. All bulbs rooted in distilled water and after they were transferred to the extracts of marcela and they were kept there for 24 hours (control bulbs remained under water). The root tips were collected, after fixed in ethanol acetic acid (3:1) for 24 hours and, stored under alcohol 70%. A total of 6000 cells per group of bulbs was analyzed, and the mitotic indexes were calculated and undergone to statistical analysis by using chi2 at 5%. The conclusions were that the infusions of marcela have anti-proliferative action on the cell cycle of onion and that this inhibitory action on the cell division increases according to the increase of the infusion concentration, after storage as well.
Achyrocline satureioides; Allium cepa; Asteraceae; Liliaceae; anti-proliferative effect; mitotic index; medicinal plant
