EVALUATOIN OF GENOTOXICITY OF RICINUS COMMUNIS (LEAVES AND SEEDS) BY THEIR SILVER NANO-PARTICLES USING COMET ASSAY

Ricinus communis commonly known as castor oil plant is used in Indian indigenous medicinal system of Ayurveda to treat various diseases like sleeping disorders (insomnia), gall bladder pain, headache, backache, expulsion of placenta and arthritis. The present study deals with the genotoxic effects of silver nanoparticles of Ricinus communis leaves and seeds aqueous extracts in human lymphocytes and in Escherichia coli by the comet assay. Using aqueous extracts of seeds and leaves powder of Ricinus communis, silver nano particles are prepared. The results showed increase in tail length when the E. coli samples were treated with four different concentrations of leaves silver nanoparticles, as the concentration increases tail length also increases denoting DNA damage at high concentrations. Mild genotoxicity was observed when human lymphocytes were used against different concentrations of leaves silver nanoparticles. When seed nanoparticles of Ricinus communis (four different concentrations) treated with E. coli, mild genotoxicity is observed but when seed nanoparticles were treated with human lymphocytes, results showed higher level of genomic damage (nature of genotoxicity is increasing with the increasing concentration).