Mitigating Arsenite-Induced Clinico-Pathological and Ultrastructural Alterations in Wistar Rats using Withania somnifera Root Extract
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.2.18Keywords:
Anaemia, Arsenic, Haematological, Hepatotoxicity, Lipid peroxidation, Nephrotoxicity.Abstract
Sodium arsenite induces marked haematological and pathological alterations in multiple organs, including the liver, stomach, kidneys, brain, testes, and skin, with chronic exposure known to predispose individuals to skin carcinogenesis. The present study evaluated the protective efficacy of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) root extract against arsenic-induced toxicity. 24 Wistar rats of 150-200 gm were randomly divided into 4 equal groups. Rats in Group A served as the untreated control, in Group B received sodium arsenite at a dose of 4 mg/kg b. wt. orally for 45 days. Group C was administered an aqueous root extract of W. somnifera @ 200 mg/kg body weight concurrently with sodium arsenite for the same duration. Group D received only aqueous root extract of W. somnifera @ 200 mg/kg body weight. Affected rats exhibited macrocytic hypochromic anaemia and an elevated leukocyte count and oxidative stress. Major visceral organs of toxicity group showed degeneration, necrosis, and leukocytic infiltration. Ultrastructural examination of hepatic tissue revealed indistinct nuclear membranes, electron-dense mitochondria, and disrupted, discontinuous rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). W. somnifera root extract reduced the haemato-biochemical changes and oxidative stress. It also exhibited protection of 16.95% and 19.49% in gross and histopathological lesions, and restoration of nuclear integrity and RER architecture. In conclusion, W. somnifera root extract mitigated sodium arsenite–induced toxicity in Wistar rats by reducing oxidative stress and preserving cellular structure, thereby demonstrating its potential as a protective agent against arsenic toxicity.
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