BIOCHEMICAL PROFILING OF BAMBOO SEEDS (MALOCANNA BACCIFERA) AND EFFECT ON REPRODUCTION AND CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES IN THE FEMALE RAT (RATTUS NORVEGICUS)

Experiments were performed on seeds of bamboo (Malocanna baccifera) and female rat (Rattus norvegicus) to see the biochemical profile and its effect on the reproductive potentials respectively. The bamboo seeds that are collected after a sporadic flowering were examine for present of steroid, total phenol, total flavonoid and antioxidant properties. Bamboo seeds shows the presence of steroid in both the epicarp/ mesocarp and endosperm. The total phenolic contain showed higher concentration in the extract of epicarp/ mesocarps while total flavonoid content did not very. The lower LC50 of epicarp/ mesocarps when compared to endosperm indicates batter antioxidant properties in bamboo seeds. The estradiol concentration in the female rat feed with the bamboo seeds did not differ significantly with that of the control group. The cytological observation shows mostly normal distribution of chromosome numbers 2n=42 in most of the plate but some the numerical abnormalities in chromosome numbers with 2n=45, 44, 43, 38, 30 were also observed in some of the plates. Robertsonian fusions and B- chromosomes were also reported in the present study. Thus it would be too early to conclude and link the bamboo flowering and increase in rat population.