Protective effects of phyllanthus emblica leaf extract on sodium arsenite-mediated adverse effects in mice

Abstract

Groundwater contamination of arsenic is the major cause of a serious health hazard in Bangladesh. No specific treatment is yet available to manage the large number of individuals exposed to arsenic. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry or Amla) leaf extract (PLE) on arsenic-mediated toxicity in experimental mice. Male Swiss albino mice were divided into three different groups (n=6/group). 'Control' mice received arsenic free water together with normal feed. Mice in the remaining two groups designated 'SA' and 'SA+PLE' were exposed to sodium arsenite (SA, 10 µg/g body weight/day) through drinking water in addition to receiving normal feed and PLE-supplemented feed, respectively. The weight gain of SA-exposed mice was decreased compared with the controls; however, this decrease in body weight gain was prevented when the feed was supplemented with PLE. A secondary effect of arsenic was enlargement of the liver, kidney and spleen of SA-group mice. Deposition of arsenic in those organs was demonstrated by ICP-MS. When PLE was supplemented in the feed the enlargement of the organs was minimized; however, the deposition of arsenic was not significantly reduced. These results indicated that PLE may not block arsenic deposition in tissue directly but rather may play a protective role to reduce arsenic-induced toxicity. Therefore, co-administration of PLE in arsenic-exposed animals might have a future therapeutic application for protecting against arsenic-mediated toxicity.

Keywords: Phyllanthus emblica; antioxidant; growth retardation; mice; sodium arsenite.

Fig. 1

Protective effects of PLE on arsenic-mediated loss of body weight in mice. Body weight of each group of mice were taken at every two weeks and continued up to 10 weeks. Data of average (Avg) body weight of 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks were plotted. Data shown as mean±SD (n=6 per group). p<0.01 control vs. SA or SA+PLE.

Fig. 2

A representative photograph of one from each group (as indicated) after 10 weeks of arsenic exposure.

Fig. 3

Arsenic-induced increase in organ/body weight ratio was blocked by PLE. The average organ/body weight (mg/g) ratio was plotted for each organ. Data shown as mean±SD (n=6 per group). p<0.01 control vs. SA or SA+PLE.

Fig. 4

Deposition of arsenic (mg/Kg body weight) in different organs. Data shown as mean±SD (n=6 per group). p<0.01 control vs. SA or SA+PLE.