Antioxidant and protective effects of Amrit Nectar tablets on adriamycin- and cisplatin-induced toxicities.
OBJECTIVE
Maharishi herbal food supplements have been shown to inhibit the growth of mammary tumors and reduce free radical-mediated injuries. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Amrit Nectar tablets on rat liver microsomal lipid peroxidation and compare to other antioxidants. The protective effects of dietary Amrit Nectar tablets (MA-7; containing 38 herbs) on cisplatin-induced changes in glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in rat liver and kidney, and Adriamycin (Pharmacia S.p.A, Milan, Italy)-induced mortalities in mice were also investigated.


RESULTS
Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of MA-7 were more potent than other antioxidants tested under our experimental conditions. Adriamycin (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) caused 60% mortality during the period of 4 weeks in CDF1 mice. Dietary MA-7 (0.7%) treatment decreased the mortality to 20%. Dietary MA-7 (0.7%) supplementation with cisplatin treatment reversed the effects of cisplatin on liver and kidney GSH and GST activity.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that MA-7 is a powerful antioxidant. MA-7 supplementation with Adriamycin and cisplatin treatment may protect against their toxicities.
Dwivedi
Chandradhar
C
South Dakota State University, College of Pharmacy, Brookings, SD 57007, USA. Chandradhar.Dwivedi@sdstate.edu
Agrawal
Puja
P
Natarajan
Karthika
K
Sharma
Hari
H
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000517:prevention & control; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; C476033:Maharishi Amrit Kalash; D028321:Plant Preparations; D004317:Doxorubicin; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D002945:Cisplatin