Triticum aestivum Assay - A Useful Tool for Environmental Monitoring and Toxicity Assessment

The present review summarizes the literature data regarding the application of Triticum aestivum assay as an alternative method for toxicity assessment of environmental pollutants or potential therapeutic agents. Plant bioassays present several advantages among other biological assays (simplicity, low cost, rapid test activation, a wide array of assessment endpoints). They present a good correlation with animal and human cells models, and are a reliable tool for genotoxicity assessment. Furthermore, in the context of toxicology guidelines that promote the substitution of assays using animal models with other bioassays, genotoxicity assays using higher plants models have gained in popularity. The present review focuses on three major aspects regarding Triticum aestivum assay - its utility in environmental pollution monitoring, its application in genotoxicity assessment studies, and its application in phytotoxicity evaluation of nanomaterials.