Mustard oil and garlic extract as inhibitors of sodium arsenite-induced chromosomal breaks in vivo

Arsenic, a well-known human carcinogen present as a contaminant in ground water poses a serious threat to public health in various countries. The anticlastogenic properties of two dietary supplements, garlic and mustard oil, were screened against the clastogenic activity of sodium arsenite, since diet may contain factors which affect the process of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Aqueous extract of garlic (100 mg/kg b.w.) and mustard oil (0.643 mg/kg b.w.) were fed to Mus musculus for 30 consecutive days either singly or simultaneously. Sodium arsenite (0.1 mg/kg b.w.) was injected subcutaneously on days 7, 14, 21 and 30 of the experiment, singly and together with the dietary supplements. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last exposure to sodium arsenite and clastogenic effects were observed in the bone marrow cells. The degree of modulation of sodium arsenite-induced chromosomal aberrations was more pronounced in mustard oil than in garlic extract and simultaneous administration of both the dietary supplements reduced the clastogenic effects of sodium arsenite closer to the level of the negative control. The greater efficacy could be due to the interaction of the two dietary supplements and its radical scavenging property.