Use of black tea in modulating clastogenic effects of arsenic in mice in vivo.
The concentration of arsenic in drinking water has far exceeded the permissible limit of 0.001 mg/L and has reached epidemic proportions, with a maximum of 3.7 mg/L in several districts of West Bengal and in the adjoining Bangladesh. Because inorganic arsenic is a documented human carcinogen, arsenic in drinking water may cause 200,000-270,000 deaths per year from cancer in India alone. Tea has a protective effect against the clastogenicity of arsenic. We investigated whether tea extracts could protect against the damage caused by arsenic in vivo. Our experiments were carried out with black tea in mice with the end points of incidence of chromosomal aberrations and damaged cells. Analysis of variance of chromosomal aberrations showed a significant difference in the toxic effects of arsenic, which were reduced by tea infusion. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations was close to the corresponding effects of tea alone. Continued dietary administration of black tea infusion protects against the chromosome-damaging effects of sodium arsenite at a statistically significant level. The degree of protection increases with duration of tea consumption, which may be attributed to the antioxidant and scavenging properties of tea infusion.
Patra
Manomita
M
Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India. manomita@vsnl.net
Halder
Ajanta
A
Bhowmik
Niladri
N
De
Madhusnata
M
D000818:Animals; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018053:Arsenites / Q000633:toxicity*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000187:drug effects*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D017670:Sodium Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors
D018053:Arsenites; D009153:Mutagens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017670:Sodium Compounds; D013662:Tea; C017947:sodium arsenite