The Protective Effect of Methanol Extract of Rauvolfia vomitoria against the Clastogenicity and Hepatotoxicity of Sodium Arsenite in Mice

Exposure to arsenic is a public health concern and many strategies are being employed to counter arsenic intoxication. Here, we investigated the effect of methanol leaf extracts of Rauvolfia vomitoria (MRV) on mice exposed to sodium arsenite (SA) using micronucleus assay and monitoring the activities of γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) in the plasma. In addition, pathological examination of the liver of test and control mice was carried out. Test mice were exposed to 1300, 650 and 325 mg/kg body weight of MRV for seven consecutive days before injection (i.p.) with 1 mg/kg body weight of SA on the seventh day. Negative control mice were given distilled water, while the positive control animals were injected with 1 mg/kg body weight of SA twenty hours before the experiment was terminated on the eighth day. The SA significantly (p < 0.05) increased the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (mPCE) and the activities of γ-GT, ALP, AST and ALT when compared to the negative control. Mice treated with SA showed portal inflammation and hepatocyte necrosis. Pretreatment with MRV significantly (p< 0.05) reduced the biochemical parameters except ALT that was increased in animals treated with SA and 1300 mg/kg body weight MRV. Histopathological changes induced by SA were prevented by 650 and 325 mg/kg body weight MRV. This suggests that methanol extract of Rauvolfia vomitoria offers some degree of chemo-protection against SA induced clastogenicity and liver damage at lower doses