Trichosanthes dioica fruit extract ameliorates arsenic-induced brain toxicity in male albino rats.

This study evaluated the ameliorative potential of aqueous extract of Trichosanthes dioica fruit (AQTD) against arsenic-induced toxicity in rat brain. AQTD (50 and 100 mg/kg) was administered orally to male Wistar albino rats for 20 consecutive days before oral administration of sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg) for 8 days. We then evaluated the brain biochemical parameters viz. lipid peroxidation, reduced and oxidized glutathione, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and DNA fragmentation. Pretreatment with AQTD significantly and dose dependently modulated all the antioxidative parameters and reduced DNA fragmentation in rat brain intoxicated with arsenic. These findings conclude that T. dioica fruit possesses a remarkable ameliorative effect against arsenic-induced brain toxicity in male albino rats, which is mediated by alleviation of arsenic-induced oxidative stress by multiple mechanisms.