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Updated: May 2, 2026

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC
Published on: May 10, 2016
Cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of some Helleborus species
Jasmina Čakar1, Anja Haverić, Sanin Haverić
1a Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Sarajevo , Zmaja od Bosne 8, Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Abstract:
Despite their known toxic properties, various Helleborus species are used as medicaments in folk medicine to treat some diseases and health conditions. As the main mechanism of many cytostatic drugs is based on their cytotoxic activity, there is potential for the toxicity of hellebore to be used in anticancer therapy. This study tested the geno- and cytotoxic effects of extracts of three hellebore taxa (Helleborus odorus, Helleborus multifidus and Helleborus hercegovinus) on meristemic onion (Alliumcepa L.) cells and human lymphocytes. Treatments with Helleborus extracts induced cytotoxic and cytostatic effects in meristemic onion cells as well as in cultivated cytokinesis-blocked human lymphocytes. Cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay indicated that treatments with hellebore extracts induce genotoxic effects in human lymphocytes, and that the significant mechanism of their antiproliferative activity is apoptosis induction.
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