Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Effects of Some Azo Dyes in Allium cepa Root Tip Cells

Abstract

Azo dyes (AD-1, AD-2) were synthesized from the reaction diazonium salts of the aromatic amines salt with the enaminone derivative. The chemical structure of the synthesized novel azo dye (AD-2) was characterized by elemental analysis and other spectral techniques (FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR). Azo dyes are used frequently in the industry and pose a great danger especially for water resources. In this respect, azo dyes threaten many products indirectly in agricultural applications. In this study, the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of potential azo dyes (AD-1, AD-2) that can be used in industrial applications were determined using Allium test system in five different concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 µM). As a result of the cytogenetic analyzes, it was determined that both azo dyes significantly reduced the number of divisions of A. cepa cells and caused chromosomal abnormalities in dividing cells. As a result, in this research, it is emphasized that the azo dyes (AD-1, AD-2), which are potentially used in the industry, cause genotoxic and cytotoxic effects in the living structures.