Treatment of mice with a herbal preparation (Liv.52) reduces.pdfVIP

[Mutation Research (1991): 253, 123-126.] Treatment of mice with a herbal preparation (Liv.52) reduces the frequency of radiation-induced chromosomal damage in bone marrow Ganesh Chandra Jagetia and Ganapathi, N.G., Department of Radiobiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India. ABSTRACT Induction of chromosomal aberrations was studied from ¼ to 14 days post irradiation in the bone marrow of mice treated or not treated with Liv.52, a herbal preparation, prior to 4.5 Gy exposure. The frequency of chromatid and chromosomal aberrations started increasing at day ¼ in the irradiated and Liv.52 + irradiated groups. The highest frequency of aberrations was recorded at day ½ post exposure, which declined after day 1 in both groups. The frequency of both types of aberrations was significantly lower in the Liv.52 + irradiated group than in the irradiated group. INTRODUCTION Liv.52 is a non-toxic herbal preparation composed of Capparis spinosa, Cichorium intybus, Solanum nigrum, Cassia occidentalis, Terminalia arjuna, Achillea millefolium and Tamarix gallica. It has been reported to be clinically effective in treating hepatotoxicity and a wide range of hepatic disorders (Mathur, 1975; Sule et al., 1968; Deshpande et al. 1971). The radioprotective potential of Liv.52 was demonstrated for the first time in mice by Saini et al. (1984a, b) against radiation- induced sickness, dermatitis and spleen injury. Recently, Jagetia and Ganapathi (1989) have reported that prior administration of Liv.52 reduced the formation of micronuclei in mouse bone marrow. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the protective action of Liv.52 against radiation- induced chromoso