Antioxidative effect of Rajgira leaf extract in liver of Swiss albino mice after exposure to different doses of gamma radiation

The radioprotective effect of Rajgira leaf extract (800 mg/kg b.wt.) was studied in the liver of Swiss albino mice at various post‐irradiation intervals between day 1 and 30 after its oral administration for 15 consecutive days prior to whole body gamma irradiation with 6, 8 and 10 Gy of gamma rays. In this study, abnormal and binucleated hepatocytes were counted in both the control and experimental sets because these hepatocytes are good indicators of radiation‐induced damage. In the experimental (RLE + irradiation) sets, the percentage of abnormal and binucleated hepatocytes was lower compared with their respective control (irradiation alone) sets at each autopsy interval with all three radiation doses studied. The increase in the percentage of these hepatocytes was also found to be dose‐dependent in the control as well as in the RLE treated (experimental) sets. Thus, Rajgira leaf extract (RLE) treatment given before irradiation protects mouse liver against radiation‐induced lesions by increasing the GSH content and decreasing the LPO level. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.