Sodium arsenite-mediated cellular dysfunctions in rats: modulation by leaf extract of Tridax procumbens

Exposure to arsenic by man and animals and the resultant toxic effects are of great concern. Consequently, there is a search for medicinal plants with potential anti-toxic effects for remediation. The current study investigated the effect of Tridax procumbens (TP) (whose medicinal uses have been reported traditionally) on sodium arsenite-mediated cellular dysfunctions. Thirty-two male Wistar rats (80–100 g) were equally grouped into four. The first group (control) was administered 1 ml/kg body weight (bwt.) olive oil; the second group, 2.5 mg/kg bwt sodium arsenite (SA); the third group, 100 mg/kg bwt TP; and the fourth group, SA and TP. Oral treatment was done with TP given daily for 14 days and SA on days 7 and 14. Haematological profile, hepatic biomarkers, relative numbers of micronuclei in bone marrow cells, histological examination, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and myelin basic protein (MBP) expression were assessed. TP mitigates the haemotoxic and hepatotoxic effects of SA in the co-exposed group. Similarly, TP ameliorated SA-induced histological lesions in the liver, lungs, and cerebral cortex, and micronuclei formation in bone marrow cells. In the co-treated group, TP downregulated the induced expression of iNOS protein by SA in the lungs, cerebral cortex, and liver . TP upregulated MBP expression in the treated group as compared to the control. These findings suggest that TP has cytoprotective effects on SA-mediated cellular dysfunctions in Wistar rats via the suppression of clastogenicity and inflammation, and enhanced myelination and erythropoiesis.