ROLE OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA ON ALTERED STEROIDOGENESIS AND OXIDATIVE IMPAIRMENT IN OVARY OF MICE SUBJECTED TO ARSENIC INTOXICATION

The present study was designed to determine the role of Andrographis paniculata (AP; 50 mg/kg) against the oxidative stress caused by the arsenic (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) for 30 days in adult mice. The results of in-vivo studies demonstrated that arsenic treatment resulted in a significant dose-dependent increase in the ovarian arsenic level and lipid peroxidation (LPO), followed by a marked reduction in gravimetric data, levels of total ascorbic acid, glutathione and in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. A significant reduction in the activities of 3b and 17b hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases along with elevated levels of cholesterol indicated ovarian endocrine dysfunction. These results suggest that an increase in free radical formation relative to loss of antioxidant defense system during arsenic exposure may render ovary more susceptible to oxidative damage leading to their functional inactivation. On the other hand, co-administration of arsenic with Andrographis paniculata (AP) restored altered biochemical variables, antioxidant balance, and gravimetry which suggests that the free radical-mediated damage during arsenic-induced oxidative stress could have been ameliorated by A. paniculata (AP) by its anti-oxidative potential.