Ameliorating Effect of Cucumis sativus (Cucumbers) against Arsenic Induced Toxicity in Mice

Abstract

In the entire world, about 200 million populations are exposed to arsenic poisoning in groundwater. Arsenic is a very poisonous metalloid and has three allotropic forms. The toxic inorganic arsenic is converted and utilized metabolically into organic form. It is primarily eliminated out from the human body through metabolic wastes like urine and is also deposited in the hair, nails and skin of the affected ones. Arsenic is known to be a carcinogen as Carcinogen category 1 in the forms of arsenic trioxide, arsenic pentoxide, arsenous acids, arsenic acid and their salts. The arsenic also affects the epidermal system, the nervous system and the vascular system of humans. In the present investigation for toxicological evaluation of arsenic Liver Function Tests & Kidney Function Tests have been considered. It is presumed that medicinal plants have significance in the present day in view of the lethal diseases like AIDS, cancer, hepatitis, nephritis sterility too for which no effective drugs are found till today in modern system of medicine. Medicinal plant based drugs generally have no side effects or the least side effect. Thus to evaluate an ameliorating effect, if any, to mitigate the arsenic toxicity in mice, for which Cucumis sativus (cucumbers) has been taken as curative measure. Sodium arsenite at the dose of 3 mg/kg body weight was administered for 4 weeks followed by the administration of Cucumis sativus (cucumbers) for 4 and 6 weeks at dose of 500 mg/kg body weight. Their biochemical levels like liver and kidney function tests were assayed and were found with elevated levels. But, after administration of aqueous extract of Cucumis sativus (cucumbers), there was significant amelioration in the biochemical levels. The protective effect of Cucumis sativus (cucumbers) was shown in the form of normalization of enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities represented by normalization of liver and kidney functions.