Graphical abstract

The painful invasive chelation therapy makes it challenging to continue the prolonged treatment against arsenic toxicity. Hence, the significance of the present preliminary investigation was to explore a noninvasive treatment strategy against sodium arsenite (As) by the use of a hydroethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) seed. Arsenic treatment (10 mg/kg body-weight) in animals showed significant level of oxidative stress as evidenced by increased serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), conjugated dienes (CD) and reduced level of non-protein thiol (NPSH). A significant diminution in the activities of enzymatic antioxidants was noted in As-treated rats. As treatment showed a lengthy phase of metestrous in animals followed by significantly diminished ovarian steroidogenesis, increased ovarian follicular degeneration and distortion of uterine tissue histomorphology. In addition, there was a significant depletion of Vitamin-B (folate) and B following As ingestion. The levels of circulating TNF-α, homocysteine (Hcy), uterine-IL-6, and liver metallothionein (MT-1) were significantly elevated in arsenic treated rats. MO at a dose of 100 mg/kg body-weight could successfully mitigate the uterine ROS generation by maintaining the uterine antioxidant status in As- treated rats. This seed extract prevented the deterioration of As-mediated ovarian-steroidogenesis and ovarian and uterine histoarchitecture significantly. B and B levels were also improved following the ingestion of the MO extract in arsenicated animals. Elevation of Hcy, TNF-α and IL-6 was also prevented by this MO seed extract in As-treated rats. A further increase of MT-1 level was achieved after MO ingestion in As-treated rats. Here, the alleviation of arsenic toxicity might involve via the regulation of the components of S-adenosine methionine (SAM) pool and MT-1.

Continuation of prolonged treatment against arsenicosis with conventional chelating therapy is a global challenge. The present study was intended to evaluate the defensive effect of arjunolic acid against arsenic-induced oxidative stress and female reproductive dysfunction. Wistar strain adult female rats were given sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg body weight) in combination with arjunolic acid (10 mg/kg body weight) orally for two estrous cycles. Electrozymographic analysis explored that arjunolic acid co-treatment counteracted As-induced ROS production in uterine tissue by stimulating the activities of endogenous enzymatic antioxidants. Arjunolic acid was able to enhance the protection against mutagenic uterine DNA breakage, necrosis, and ovarian-uterine tissue damages in arsenicated rats by improving the ovarian steroidogenesis. The mechanisms might be coupled with the augmentation of antioxidant defense system, partly through the elimination of arsenic with the involvement of S-adenosyl methionine pool where circulating levels of vitamin B, folic acid, and homocysteine play critical roles as evidenced from our present investigation.

Novel, non-invasive, painless oral therapeutic agents are needed to replace the painful conventional treatment of arsenic-associated health hazards with metal chelators. Our aim was to examine the effect of spirulina ( Spirulina platensis ( Geitler, 1925 )) on arsenic-mediated uterine toxicity. Female Wistar rats were divided equally into four experimental treatment groups: control group, sodium arsenite group (1.0 mg/100 g body mass), spirulina placebo group (20 mg/100 g body mass), and sodium arsenite + spirulina group. In contrast with the control group, spectrophotometric and electrozymographic evaluation revealed that rats that ingested arsenic for 8 d showed significant diminution of the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase ( p < 0.001). Mutagenic uterine DNA breakage and tissue damage were prominent following arsenic consumption by the rats. Oral delivery of spirulina resulted in a significant amelioration of arsenic-induced adverse oxidative stress and genotoxic state of rats. A significant low-signaling ( p < 0.001) of gonadotropins and estradiol was also noted in the arsenic-treated rats, which was terminated by spirulina; this arsenic-primed adverse effect was significant ( p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The spirulina treatment mechanism could be associated with augmentation of the antioxidant defense system that protects the arsenic-mediated pathological state of the uterus.

Momordica charantia (MC) fruit known as bitter gourd, is of potential nutritional and medicinal value. The objectives of the present in vitro study were to evaluate the efficacy of bioactive pectic polysaccharides (CCPS) of MC along with another well-known bioactive compound curcumin in the abrogation of hepatocellular oxidative stress persuaded by sodium arsenite. Electrozymographic method was developed for the assessment of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities of liver tissues maintained under an in vitro system. A significant association of CCPS of MC in combination with curcumin was found in the alleviation of oxidative stress induced by sodium arsenite in liver slice. Generated data pointed out that CCPS of MC and curcumin separately or in combination can offer significant protection against alterations in malondialdehyde (MDA), conjugated diene (CD) and antioxidative defense (SOD, CAT) markers. Furthermore, results of hepatic cell DNA degradation strongly supported that both these co-administrations have efficacy in preventing cellular damage. This is the first information of extracted polysaccharides from MC preventing arsenic induced damage in a liver slice of rat.