Role of oxidative stress in arsenic(III) induced genotoxicity in cells of meristematic tissue of Allium cepa: an in vivo study

Genotoxic effects of arsenic contaminated groundwater in Burdwan district (0-10 mu g/mL) were investigated in whole-plant roots of Allium cepa L. by use of the cellular comet assay. The results indicated that arsenic induced DNA fragmentation in a dose dependant manner with a maximum effect at 4itg/mL and at this concentration, DNA damage time-dependently increased until 48 h. A-cellular comet assay showed that DNA breakages were not associated with a direct effect of arsenic on DNA. A. cepa that were exposed to arsenic in the presence or absence of the antioxidant NADPH-oxidase inhibitor dephenylene iodonium (DPI) showed the total inhibition of the genotoxic effect of arsenic. It revealed the major role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the genotoxicity of arsenic. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the Committee Members of International Conference on Advances in Bioprocess Engineering and Technology 2016.