Therapeutic Potentials of Edible Freshwater-Snail Bellamya Bengalensis Extract against Arsenic-induced Rat Tissue Damage are Conferred by Antioxidative Mechanism and Attenuation of Pro-Inflammatory Response

Chronic arsenic exposure results in cancer. Some therapeutic agents show inadequate-potency/ side-effects in arsenic-toxicity treatment. The Bellamya bengalensis, an edible snail has long been used by rural people comprised of both ethnic and nonethnic groups as traditional medicine in several health-anomalies/ liver-disorders. In an attempt to investigate the possible protective and therapeutic effect against arsenic induced rat tissue damage are conferred by antioxidative mechanism and attenuation of pro-inflammatory response, the extract of B. bengalensis was tested in arsenic intoxicated rat model. Here, Bellamya bengalensis flesh-extract (BBE, 1 g/kg bw/day for 28days) was tested concomitantly in arsenic-intoxicated (0.6 ppm/kg bw/day for 28days) rat, in in-vitro rat liver slices (in Krebs-ringer buffer for 2 and 4 hours treatment with sodium arsenite alone or with BBE). In the rat, BBE strongly prevented arsenic-induced oxidative/necrotic damages to the intestinal epithelial tissue and liver-tissue/DNA by strengthening the antioxidant-system as shown in Non-protein soluble thiol (NPSH), Superoxide Dismutase(SOD) & catalase results which are clearly reflected in DNA-ladder/comet-assay/histo-architecture results. Arsenic alone decreased catalase and SOD activities in-vivo and in-vitro (H2O2/arsenite redox-stress to dialyzed-concentrated SOD) and also decreased antioxidative signaling molecules i.e. NPSH, serum nitric-oxide (NO) levels. At the same time, arsenic increased the tissue malondialdehyde resulting in DNA-breakage/liver-damage which except NO, were restrained by BBE that constitutes high-level of phosphorus/ascorbate/free-thiols. Moreover, an arsenic-induced increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α was restored terminating an acute-phase-reaction. This study, for the first-time, shows the efficiencies of some organism/animal extract in hepatic and intestinal tissue challenged with a high level of arsenic with comparison to the natural level water contamination in West Bengal, India. Our present outcome may be utilized for the development of some protective/therapeutic component against arsenic toxicity from this aquatic organism. Further studies are necessary for more conclusive comments.