Protective effect of Juglans nigra on sodium arsenite-induced toxicity in rats

Supplementation with sesame oil suppresses genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and enterotoxicity induced by sodium arsenite in rats

BACKGROUND

Sesame oil, an edible essential oil, is known to be rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and lignans with several reported health-promoting benefits. Acute arsenic poisoning produces toxic hepatitis, bone marrow depression and adverse gastrointestinal responses. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of sesame seed oil (SSO) against genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and colonic toxicity induced by sodium arsenite (SA) in Wistar rats.

METHODS

Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into four groups: control, SA only (2.5 mg/kg), SA + SSO (4 ml/kg) and SSO alone for eight consecutive days. Liver function and morphology, bone marrow micronuclei induction, colonic histopathology, mucus production and immune expression of Bcl-2, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MUC1 and cytokeratins AE1/AE3 were evaluated.

RESULTS

SA provoked increased serum activities of liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and caused severely altered morphology of hepatic and colonic tissues with increased frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MnPCEs/1000PCE) in the bone marrow. In addition, SA triggered increased expression of colonic CEA and MUC1 but weak Bcl-2 immunoexpression. However, cotreatment with SSO demonstrated protective activities against SA-induced damage, as indicated by significantly reduced serum ALT and AST, fewer micronucleated bone marrow erythrocytes and well-preserved hepatic and colonic morphologies compared to the SA-treated rats. Furthermore, SSO protected the colonic mucosa by boosting mucus production, elevating anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression and reducing CEA expression. GC-MS analysis of SSO revealed that it was predominated by linoleic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, and tocopherols.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicated that SSO protected the liver, colon and bone marrow potentially via anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. The data suggest that sesame oil has potential therapeutic applications against chemical toxicities induced by arsenic.

Integrative Dermatology - The Use of Herbals and Nutritional Supplements to Treat Dermatological Conditions

From humble beginnings at the dawn of time to it's advanced and successful status today, this essay traces the history of natural medicine and the development of integrated dermatology to what it is today. Some of the most well-known natural (international and Australian) products with an application in dermatology are discussed. The history and functions of the Psoriasis Eczema Clinic and the products developed by its founder, Prof. Michael Tirant, are explained.

Assessment of Sperm Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid Fragmentation Using Sperm Chromatin Dispersion Assay

The integrity of sperm deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) is one of the determinants that ensure normal fertilization, implantation, pregnancy, and the generation of a healthy progeny. Assessment of sperm DNA fragmentation has gained importance as a tool to provide significant information regarding sperm quality, and it can independently predict sperm fertilizing potential. The sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) assay is one of the available techniques to detect sperm DNA damage with results comparable to the gold standard – Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay. We present here a detailed methodology of an alkaline modification of SCD that can be carried out with minimal laboratory equipment. The SCD assay is a modified halo assay that utilizes chemical methods to demonstrate sperm DNA fragmentation. It involves the embedding of sperms in an agarose medium followed by exposure to alkaline denaturation and deproteinization. The results are interpreted under a light microscope. A visual scoring system is utilized to differentiate the sperms with possible DNA fragmentation from those without fragmented DNA and to determine the sperm DNA fragmentation index (SDFI) % for each semen sample. The SDFI % is directly proportional to the quality of sperm. The SCD assay is a simple, cost-effective, and reliable technique that can detect sperm DNA fragmentation, thus providing information regarding sperm functional quality and reproductive capacity. It is of significance in clinical and research areas of andrology and reproductive medicine, toxicology, and pharmacotherapeutics.

Exercise Prevents Memory Impairment Induced by Arsenic Exposure in Mice: Implication of Hippocampal BDNF and CREB

High concentrations of arsenic, which can be occasionally found in drinking water, have been recognized as a global health problem. Exposure to arsenic can disrupt spatial memory; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we tested whether exercise could interfere with the effect of arsenic exposure on the long-term memory (LTM) of object recognition in mice. Arsenic (0, 1, 3, and 10 mg/ kg, i.g.) was administered daily for 12 weeks. We found that arsenic at dosages of 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg decreased body weight and increased the arsenic content in the brain. The object recognition LTM (tested 24 h after training) was disrupted by 3 mg/ kg and 10 mg/ kg, but not 1 mg/ kg arsenic exposure. Swimming exercise also prevented LTM impairment induced by 3 mg/ kg, but not with 10 mg/ kg, of arsenic exposure. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP-response element binding protein (pCREB) in the CA1 and dentate gyrus areas (DG) of the dorsal hippocampus were decreased by 3 mg/ kg and 10 mg/ kg, but not by 1 mg/ kg, of arsenic exposure. The decrease in BDNF and pCREB in the CA1 and DG induced by 3 mg/ kg, but not 10 mg/ kg, of arsenic exposure were prevented by swimming exercise. Arsenic exposure did not affect the total CREB expression in the CA1 or DG. Taken together, these results indicated that swimming exercise prevented the impairment of object recognition LTM induced by arsenic exposure, which may be mediated by BDNF and CREB in the dorsal hippocampus.

Ameliorative effect of water spinach, Ipomea aquatica (Convolvulaceae), against experimentally induced arsenic toxicity

Background

Ipomea aquatica (Convolvulaceae) is traditionally used against Arsenic (As) poisoning in folk medicines in India. The present study was designed to explore the therapeutic role of aqueous extract of I. aquatica (AEIA) against As-intoxication.

Methods

AEIA was chemically standardized by spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis. The cytoprotective role of AEIA was measured on isolated murine hepatocytes. The effect on redox status were measured after incubating the hepatocytes with NaAsO₂ (10 μM) + AEIA (400 μg/ml). The protective effect of AEIA (400 μg/ml) in expressions of apoptotic proteins were estimated in vitro. The protective role of AEIA was measured by in vivo assay in mice. Haematological, biochemical, As bioaccumulation and histological parameters were evaluated to ensure the protective role of AEIA (100 mg/kg) against NaAsO₂ (10 mg/kg) intoxication.

Results

Phytochemical analysis revealed presence of substantial quantities of phenolics, flavonoids, saponins and ascorbic acid in AEIA. Incubation of murine hepatocytes with AEIA (0–400 μg/ml) + NaAsO₂ (10 μM) exerted a concentration dependent cytoprotective effect. Incubation of murine hepatocytes with NaAsO₂ (10 μM, ~ IC₅₀) induced apoptosis via augmenting oxidative stress. NaAsO₂ treated hepatocytes exhibited significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced levels of ROS production, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation with concomitant depletion of antioxidant enzymes (p < 0.05-0.01) and GSH (p < 0.01) levels. However, AEIA (400 μg/ml) + NaAsO₂ (10 μM) could significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) reinstate the aforementioned parameters to near-normal status. Besides, AEIA (400 μg/ml) could significantly counteract (p <0.05-0.01) ROS mediated alteration in the expressions of apoptotic proteins viz. Bcl-2, BAD, Cyt C, Apaf 1, caspases, Fas and Bid. In in vivo bioassay, NaAsO₂ (10 mg/kg) treatment in mice caused significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) elevated As bioaccumulation, ATP levels, DNA fragmentations and oxidative stress in the liver, kidney, heart, brain and testes along with alteration in cytoarchitecture of these organs. In addition, the serum biochemical and haematological parameters were significantly (p < 0.05-0.01) altered in the NaAsO₂-treated animals. However, concurrent administration of AEIA (100 mg/ml) could significantly reinstate the NaAsO₂-induced pathogenesis.

Conclusion

Presence of substantial quantities of dietary antioxidants within AEIA would be responsible for overall protective effect.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0430-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.