Leucas lavundulifolia ameliorates experimentally induced sodium arsenate toxicity in intestinal epithelial cells through abrogation of oxidative stress

Chronic exposure to arsenic leads to oxidative stress along with damage to several organs. The crude extract was designed to investigate the ameliorative properties of the Leucas lavundulifolia against arsenate induced cytotoxicity. Leaves are used as vegetable in part of the world. Intestinal cells were selected as a mode to analyze different aspects such as ROS, MMP, apoptosis, Chromatin condensation and DNA damage. DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays were performed to determine the MTT and tryphan blue assays were done to evaluate the cytotoxicity. Inhibition concentration (IC₅₀ ) was found to be 48µM for arsenate. Best dose was found to be 125 µg/mL in intestinal epithelial cells. Administration of the extract reduced ROS, altered MMP, reduced chromatin condensation and DNA damage effectively (p<0.05). These can be attributed to phenolic compounds and flavonoids of the crude extract. Results obtained indicates the antioxidant properties and future applications of the Leucas lavundulifolia against arsenic induced toxicity.