Comparative Analysis of Data Distribution Patterns in Plant Comet Assay

The comet assay in higher terrestrial plant model: Review and evolutionary trends

The comet assay is a sensitive technique for the measurement of DNA damage in individual cells. Although it has been primarily applied to animal cells, its adaptation to higher plant tissues significantly extends the utility of plants for environmental genotoxicity research. The present review focuses on 101 key publications and discusses protocols and evolutionary trends specific to higher plants. General consensus validates the use of the percentage of DNA found in the tail, the alkaline version of the test and root study. The comet protocol has proved its effectiveness and its adaptability for cultivated plant models. Its transposition in wild plants thus appears as a logical evolution. However, certain aspects of the protocol can be improved, namely through the systematic use of positive controls and increasing the number of nuclei read. These optimizations will permit the increase in the performance of this test, namely when interpreting mechanistic and physiological phenomena.

Comet assay to assess the genotoxicity of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) husks with statistical evaluation

The aim of this study was to confirm the utility of the Comet assay as a genotoxicity screening test for evaluating the impact of walnut husk aqueous extract. Phytotoxicity assays using diluted and undiluted walnut husk aqueous extracts were performed on young roots of Raphanus sativus (radish), and the Comet assay was used to evaluate DNA integrity in isolated radish radicle nuclei. The results reveal a dose-dependent accumulation of DNA damage in radish radicles treated with walnut husks water extract and that the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test combined with Johnson SB distribution was the best approach for describing Comet assay data.