Paper Title
Early Growth Responses Of Triticum Aestivum To Ciprofloxacin And Dna Damage Assessments Through Comet Assay

Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a commonly used antibiotic, on early growth and DNA damage in seedlings of Triticum aestivum (wheat). For this purpose, CIP levels used were 1, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50µg/L in addition to control with distilled water. Growth parameters like seedling vigour index, plant and plant biomass were determined. Comet assay was used to find %age of damage cells and tail length. Seedling vigour index was decreased 37% with 50 µg/L of CIP exposure over 72hrs. There was no significant effect on plant length but dry weight was reduced up to 21%. DNA damage percentage was very high (44%) after 72 h of exposure with highest level of the antibiotic. Tail length measured for 50µg/L of CIP exposure for 72hrs was 8.5 µm as compared to control (1.4µm). These results helped to conclude that the parameters considered for the present study are indicative of the negative impacts of an antibiotic exposure rather than considering germination percentage which is generally insensitive. Keywords: Ciprofloxacin, Comet Assay, Genotoxicity, Seedling Vigour Index, Wheat.