Genotoxic and chromatographic analyses of aqueous extracts of Peltodon longipes Kunth ex Benth. (hortelã-do-campo)

Peltodon longipes is used as a stimulant and emmenagogue. The objective of this study was to perform genotoxic and chromatographic analyses of the extracts of two samples of P. longipes, collected from the cities of Santa Maria and Tupanciretã, RS, Brazil. The Allium cepa assay was used to analyze genotoxicity while high-performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine phenolic compounds. The genotoxicity experiment consisted of nine groups each comprising four A. cepa bulbs. Bulb roots were developed in distilled water and then transferred for the treatments, for 24 hours, and the negative control remained in water. The treatments were: aqueous extracts at concentrations of 5 and 15 g L-1 for each sample, plus four groups treated with 1% glyphosate, one of which was used as a positive control and the other three for testing DNA damage recovery using water and the extracts of P. longipes from Santa Maria. All extracts of P. longipes exhibited anti-proliferative potential, although the effect was significantly greater for the extracts from the Tupanciretã sample. This sample also contained the highest amount of rosmarinic acid and kaempferol, which may confer the effects found in these extracts. Only extracts from the Santa Maria sample exhibited genotoxic potential.