Groundwater contamination of
arsenic is the major cause of a serious health hazard in Bangladesh. No specific treatment is yet available to manage the large number of individuals exposed to
arsenic. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry or Amla) leaf extract (PLE) on
arsenic-mediated toxicity in experimental mice. Male Swiss albino mice were divided into three different groups (n=6/group). 'Control' mice received
arsenic free water together with normal feed. Mice in the remaining two groups designated 'SA' and 'SA+PLE' were exposed to
sodium arsenite (SA, 10 µg/g
body weight/day) through
drinking water in addition to receiving normal feed and PLE-supplemented feed, respectively. The
weight gain of SA-exposed mice was decreased compared with the controls; however, this decrease in
body weight gain was prevented when the feed was supplemented with PLE. A secondary effect of
arsenic was enlargement of the liver, kidney and spleen of SA-group mice. Deposition of
arsenic in those organs was demonstrated by ICP-MS. When PLE was supplemented in the feed the enlargement of the organs was minimized; however, the deposition of
arsenic was not significantly reduced. These results indicated that PLE may not block
arsenic deposition in tissue directly but rather may play a protective role to reduce
arsenic-induced toxicity. Therefore, co-administration of PLE in
arsenic-exposed animals might have a future therapeutic application for protecting against
arsenic-mediated toxicity.