Modulatory Effects of Ascorbic Acid and α-tocopherol on Arsenic Induced Micronuclei Formation

Arsenic is a well known human carcinogen and has many other toxic effects. Sodium arsenite, a compound of arsenic, capable of inducing genotoxic effects through oxidative stress, is evaluated for its genotoxic effect by the formation of micronuclei in the polychromatic erythrocytes in the bone marrow cells of Wistar rats. Further, the modulatory effects of antioxidants like ascorbic acid and alpha -tocopherol on arsenic intoxicated rats is investigated. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine whether the oral supplementation of alpha -tocopherol (400 mg kg super(-1) body weight) and ascorbic acid (200 mg kg super(-1) b.wt.) to arsenic-intoxicated rats (100 ppm in drinking water) for 30 days, modulates the genotoxicity caused by arsenic through the formation of micronuclei (p