Therapeutic value of Hippophae rhamnoides L. against subchronic arsenic toxicity in mice

The present study was planned to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Hippophae rhainnoides L. against the toxic effects of arsenic in mice. H. rhamnoides L. is used as an herbal remedy for gastric ulcers, burns, and some skin and allergic diseases. Twenty-five Swiss albino mice were exposed to arsenic (25 ppm) in drinking water for 3 months. After 3 months different fruit extracts of H. rhanmoides L. (500 mg/kg for 10 days) were administered, the animals were sacrificed, and blood and tissues were assayed for various biochemical indicators of oxidative stress and whether arsenic was removed from tissues. Treatment with different fruit extracts of H. rhainnoides L. showed significant protection from arsenic inhibition of blood 5-aminotevulinic acid dehydratase activity and restored blood reduced glutathione levels. Other hematologic variables like white blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and hernatocrit were partially protected by supplementation with a water extract of H. rhainnoides L. (HF-WRT). Significant protection was also observed in altered hepatic, renal, and brain reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels. The aqueous extract of H. rhainnoides L. (HF-WRT) also provided protection against parameters indicative of liver injury such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. There was also no effect on blood and tissue arsenic concentrations observed except some moderate depletion of blood arsenic concentrations, suggesting that the drug has no ability to chelate intracellular arsenic. It can be concluded from these results that post-treatment with an aqueous extract of H. rhainnoides L. (HF-WRT) significantly protects against arsenic-induced oxidative stress but does not chelate arsenic, suggesting it may have a beneficial role as a supplementing agent during chelation of arsenic by other means.