Radiation Protective Potentiality of Adhatoda vasica

Abstract

The present study forecasts the extensive damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for cancer in the genetic setup of an individual. To counteract this damage, radioprotective potentiality of 50% Methanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica was evaluated through Cyto-Geno analysis. 50% Methanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica leaves was used as a drug whose radioprotective potentiality was to be investigated. Human peripheral lymphocytes were cultured using RPMI-1640 media, harvested and observed under microscope for chromosomal aberration assay. Total 200 metaphases were counted for each group. All the metaphases were found to be normal in Control group. The frequency of normal metaphases greatly increased after pretreatment with both low and high drug dose (50mg/Kg body weight and 100mg/Kg body weight) concentration. The average normal metaphase in Radiation Control was 118 out of 200 metaphases but after pretreatment with 50% Methanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica the number of normal metaphase increased to 179 at 50mg/Kg body weight and 184 at 100mg/Kg body weight. It was concluded that 50% Methanolic Extract of Adhatoda vasica with both low and high drug doses have shown its potentiality as a radio protector against the therapeutically induced mutations which can prove to be a contributor in cancer management in future. Such indigenous Indian, herbal, cost effective, poor man friendly drug will definitely be a potential adjuvant to cancer treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy since Amifostine a well known radioprotector given to the patients at the time of cancer therapy is expensive and has its own side effects.