This study elucidates the protective role of Green tea (Camellia sinensis or CS) against arsenic-induced mutagenic DNA-breakage/intestinal (small) damages in female rats. Intestinal epithelial cells receive ingested arsenic initially. Though, the possibility of damages in this tissue is immense and the therapeutic strategies against this damage are of great concern, reports on either issue are scanty. Our earlier study on arsenic-exposed human unveils a link between carcinogenesis and mutagenic DNA damage. Here, we demonstrate that supplementation of CS-extract (10 mg/mL water) with NaAsO2 (0.6 ppm)/100 g b.w. for 28 days to rats offered a significant protection against arsenic-induced oxidative damages to DNA and intestinal (small) tissues by buttressing antioxidant systems. Necrotic and apoptotic damages and their CS-protection are shown in DNA-fragmentation, comet-assay, and histoarchitecture (hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-schiff staining) results. Only arsenic exposure significantly decreased intestinal superoxide dismutase, catalase activities, and level of soluble thiol with a concomitant increase in malondialdehyde/conjugated dienes. Alteration of serum necrotic marker lactate dehydrogenase and the metabolic inflammatory marker c-reactive protein also indicate the impairment may be occurring at transcription and/or cellular signal transduction level. In addition, in situ incubation in rat intestinal loop filled for 24 h with NaAsO2 alone (250 µM) or with aqueous CS-extract (250 mg/mL) suggests that small intestinal epithelial cells are significantly protected by CS against arsenic-associated necrotic/mutagenic damages, which is observed in DNA-breakage studies. In conclusion, besides intensifying endogenous antioxidant system, CS polyphenols also offer a direct role on free radical scavenging activity that is associated to the protection from mutagenic DNA-breakages and prevention of tissue necrosis/carcinogenesis generated by arsenic.

Taken together, this investigation indicates the potent neuroprotective and antioxidative efficiencies of Camellia sinensis against arsenic-induced oxidative threat.

Aims: Arsenic has carcinogenic property. Reason behind this is the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS damages different macromolecules, tissues and organs, and severely exhausts cellular antioxidants. Background: Cytosolic and mitochondrial contribution of ROS production by arsenic is not well reported. In regard to the issues of therapy against arsenic or any other toxicity, natural product has gained its popularity due to its less side-effects and non-invasive nature. Objectives: Here, as an ethno-medicine the flesh-extract (BBE; 100mg/100g bw) of Bellamya bengalensis (an aquatic mollusk, pila) was applied in arsenic intoxicated (0.6 ppm/100g bw/for 28 days alone or in combination with BBE) experimental rats. Our objective was to study the anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic role of BBE in hepatogastrointestinal tissue damage by arsenic. Methods: DNA fragmentation assay, catalase activity (gel-zymogram assay) suggests that BBE has a strong protective role against arsenic toxicity which is decisively demonstrated in hepatic histoarchitechture study by HE (hematoxylin and eosin) staining and by intestinal PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) staining. Results: Measurement of mitochondrial-membrane-potential by fluroscent microcopy clearly demonstrated less membrane damage and lower release of redox-active inner-membrane product (cytochrome-C, ubiquinone etc.) in BBE supplemented group compared to that of only arsenic fed group. Present study clearly suggests that mitochondrial disintegrity is one of the major causes of ROS mediated tissue damage by arsenic. Conclusions: This study also offers an option for prevention/treatment against arsenic toxicity and its carcinogenicity by widely available low-cost noninvasive bellamya extract by protecting cytoskeleton, DNA and mitochondria in the cell.

Chronic arsenic exposure results in cancer. Some therapeutic agents show inadequate-potency/ side-effects in arsenic-toxicity treatment. The Bellamya bengalensis, an edible snail has long been used by rural people comprised of both ethnic and nonethnic groups as traditional medicine in several health-anomalies/ liver-disorders. In an attempt to investigate the possible protective and therapeutic effect against arsenic induced rat tissue damage are conferred by antioxidative mechanism and attenuation of pro-inflammatory response, the extract of B. bengalensis was tested in arsenic intoxicated rat model. Here, Bellamya bengalensis flesh-extract (BBE, 1 g/kg bw/day for 28days) was tested concomitantly in arsenic-intoxicated (0.6 ppm/kg bw/day for 28days) rat, in in-vitro rat liver slices (in Krebs-ringer buffer for 2 and 4 hours treatment with sodium arsenite alone or with BBE). In the rat, BBE strongly prevented arsenic-induced oxidative/necrotic damages to the intestinal epithelial tissue and liver-tissue/DNA by strengthening the antioxidant-system as shown in Non-protein soluble thiol (NPSH), Superoxide Dismutase(SOD) & catalase results which are clearly reflected in DNA-ladder/comet-assay/histo-architecture results. Arsenic alone decreased catalase and SOD activities in-vivo and in-vitro (H2O2/arsenite redox-stress to dialyzed-concentrated SOD) and also decreased antioxidative signaling molecules i.e. NPSH, serum nitric-oxide (NO) levels. At the same time, arsenic increased the tissue malondialdehyde resulting in DNA-breakage/liver-damage which except NO, were restrained by BBE that constitutes high-level of phosphorus/ascorbate/free-thiols. Moreover, an arsenic-induced increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α was restored terminating an acute-phase-reaction. This study, for the first-time, shows the efficiencies of some organism/animal extract in hepatic and intestinal tissue challenged with a high level of arsenic with comparison to the natural level water contamination in West Bengal, India. Our present outcome may be utilized for the development of some protective/therapeutic component against arsenic toxicity from this aquatic organism. Further studies are necessary for more conclusive comments.