ALLEVIATION OF ARSENIC INDUCED LUNG TOXICITY BY OCIMUM SANCTUM IN MURINE MODEL

Arsenic is a well known pulmonary irritant and has been found associated with lung cancer in smelter workers exposed to arsenic via inhalation. The recent findings suggest the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated during arsenic metabolism in inducing arsenic toxicity. Thus present work was designed to establish a correlation between arsenic induced oxidative stress, histopathological alterations and genotoxicity in pulmonary tissue of balb/c mice and assessing the therapeutic efficacy of Ocimum sanctum (200mg/kg b.wt., orally) against arsenic (1.57 mg/kg b.wt., 1/10^th of LD₅₀) intoxicated mice. Sub-chronic arsenic exposure elicited significant elevation in lipid peroxidation, reduction in glutathione and antioxidant enzyme levels in lungs of mice. Histopathological observations revealed degeneration of bronchiolar epithelium, enhanced number of alveolar macrophage, reduction in alveolar space and alveolar hyperplasia, where as fragmented genomic DNA from the pulmonary tissue indicated oxidative stress mediated genotoxicity. Ocimum treatment abated the oxidative stress by commuting the antioxidants imbalance, thereby reducing as induced histological changes and genotoxicity. Thus, present study established the preventive efficacy of Ocimum sanctum leaf extract against arsenic mediated toxicity and other cellular toxic insults.