Protective effect of Teucrium polium on carbon tetrachloride induced genotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of Teucrium polium (TP) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl ₄ ) induced spleen, erythrocyte's oxidative stress, and genotoxicity in rats. TP was found to contain large amounts of polyphenols (150 mg GAE/G of dry plant) and flavonoids (60 mg QE/g of quercetin dry plant). The CCl ₄ (0.5 ml/kg) treated rats exhibited significant reductions in serum vitamin A (VA), vitamin E (VE) and total antioxidant status (TAS). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) were significantly high in the CCl ₄ group compared to controls. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly decreased in CCl ₄ rats. Cytogenetic trials revealed remarkable increases in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) following CCl ₄ administration. Pretreatment with TP prevented damages caused by CCl ₄ . Spleen characterised by necrosis was detected in CCl ₄ as compared to controls. Pretreatment with TP considerably decreased the perturbation.