Genotoxic Effect of Lavender Essential Oil on Vicia faba Root Tip Cells

Key words: 
• lavender essential oil /
• broad beans /
• micronucleus /
• lipid peroxidation

Abstract: Essential oil of Lavender（ Lavendula angustifolia Mill） was used to induce the growth of Vicia faba root tip cells to test its genotoxicity,and the correlation between the micronucleus frequency and lipid peroxidation of the root tip cells induced were investigated. The result indicated that lavender essential oil could inhibit the growth of V. faba root tip cells at the concentration of 1. 000 0 mg·L^-1,but it had no obvious genetic toxicity at the concentration of 0-0. 200 0 mg·L^-1,and showed increasing resistance to mutation and oxidation.Induced with the lavender essential oil at the concentrations of 0-0. 200 0 mg·L^-1the root tip cells showed positive correlation between their micronuclei frequency and their lipid peroxidation,and the correlation coefficient（ R²） was 0. 83. When induced with the lavender essential oil at a concentration of higher than 0. 200 0 mg·L^-1,V. faba root tip cells produced obvious biological damage,and their normal physiological metabolism and stress response were affected.