Protective role of the methanolic extract of Icacina trichantha on sodium arsenite induced genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity.

Abstract Arsenic is a toxic metalloid, whose toxicity has raised a lot of concern. Humans are exposed to this metalloid through contaminated water, air and even foods. As a sulfhydryl reactive metal, arsenic has been found to cause extensive damage to organs such as the liver. It has also been found to be a potent clastogen, causing DNA damage leading to both benign and malignant tumors. The anti-hepatotoxic and anti-genotoxic effects of methanolic leaf extract of Icacina trichantha on sodium arsenite induced toxicity in rats were determined. Oral gavage of sodium arsenite was used to induced genotoxicity in rats and micronucleus assay was used to measure the number of micronucleated polychromatophilic erythrocytes. The determination of activities of serum alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities were used for the hepatotoxicity assay.. The mean number of micronucleated polychromatophilic erythrocytes (MPCE) per 1000 cells +/- SEM from the bone marrow smear was 57.50 +/- 9.71 in rats treated with both arsenite and extract compared to 129.00 +/- 16.34 in rats treated with arsenite alone. The serum ALT, AST and GGT activities +/- SEM were 67.04 + 3.71, 39.12 +/- 3.45 and 11.54 +/- 0.42 lu respectively for the rats treated with arsenite alone. Combined treatment of arsenite and the extract significantly decrease (p