Avaliação da atividade mutagênica do resveratrol pelo teste de allium cepa

Abstract

Resveratrol is a phenolic compound of plant origin widely studied due to its biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Despite the reported benefits, evaluating its biological safety is essential, especially regarding its genotoxic and mutagenic potential. This study aimed to evaluate the mutagenic activity of resveratrol using the Allium cepa test system, recognized as an efficient, sensitive, and low-cost model for the analysis of cytogenetic alterations. The experiment was conducted with Allium cepa bulbs exposed to two concentrations of resveratrol (5 mg/dL and 10 mg/dL), in addition to negative control (distilled water) and positive control (colchicine) groups. After the exposure period, the mitotic index and micronucleus frequency, indicators of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, respectively, were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the positive control showed a significant increase in micronucleus frequency and a reduction in the mitotic index, confirming the effectiveness of the experimental model. In contrast, the groups treated with resveratrol did not show an increase in micronucleus formation and maintained high mitotic indices, similar to the negative control. Statistical analyses did not indicate significant differences between the treated groups and the negative control, demonstrating that the observed effects were restricted to the positive control. Therefore, it is concluded that resveratrol, at the concentrations evaluated, did not show mutagenic or cytotoxic activity, and may even suggest a possible protective effect on cellular genetic material.