Mouthwash Induced Cytotoxicity in Red Onion (Allium Cepa) Roots

Authors

  • Raine Gem Flores

Keywords:

cytotoxic, mitotic index, mouthwash, onion

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The rapid growth in industrialization is parallel to the growth of lines of different products like mouthwash which is universally used to improve oral health and dental hygiene. As we all know, after usage, people just spit out mouthwash down the drain and eventually released to the environment. Because of this, a need to know the effects of undiluted or even the diluted mouthwash arises. This research titled "Mouthwash Induced Cytotoxicity in Red Onion Roots" shows the effect of mouthwash to the growth of plants, particularly of Red Onion, in the cellular level.

METHODS

To assess the effect of mouthwash on red onion, an experiment was done. Two sets of fifteen red onion bulbs which were pre-soaked in 50 ml purified water for 24 hours were prepared. After that, onion bulbs were immersed on eight different mouthwash concentration levels. The first set having A with 100%, B with 75%, Cwith 50% and D with 25%. Second set having A with 20%, B with 15%, C with 10% and D with 5%. Two sets of Setup E, which was the control setup with 0% concentration were prepared. Each setup was replicated thrice. After a day, a physical observation was done on the roots and the results were noted. Then, the roots were measured, collected and fixed. Slides were prepared for proper observation and mitotic index was computed after observation.

RESULTS

The physical observation revealed that in both sets, only Setup E maintained the normal appearance while the other setups changed color from white to different shades of green and became limp. Consequently, the Mitotic Index revealed that on the First Set, Setup E had the highest M.I. of 2.6% while the other setups obtained a result ranging from 0 to 0.1%. On the Second Set, Setup B got the highest M.I. of 7.1%, followed by Setup E which got 3.7%, Setup D with 3.5%, Setup C got 3.4% and lastly Setup A which got the lowest with 0.5%.

DISCUSSIONS

For both sets, considering that Setup E yielded a high mitotic index, it can be said that division of cells seldom happen when mouthwash acted on cells and thus, stops the growth of roots. The presence of an abnormality (C-metaphase) in the Second Set, Setup B suggests that mouthwash also caused aberration in the cell division of onion roots. In summary, it is justified that mouthwash induces a cytotoxic effect that inhibit the growth of red onions.

Published

2019-01-18