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Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology

ISSN for PRINT: 0731-8898

Institutional price:	$672.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2005, Volume24

98 pages

DOI: 10.1615/JEnvPathToxOncol.v24.i3

Issue price - $160.00

Use of Black Tea in Modulating Clastogenic Effects of Arsenic in Mice In Vivo

Manomita Patra
Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India

Ajanta Halder
Department of Genetics, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan, Kolkata, India

Niladri Bhowmik
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India

Madhusnata De
Department of Genetics, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan, Kolkata, India

ABSTRACT

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.