Combined effect of Eichhornia crassipes and Emblica officinalis on serum electrolytes and enzyme profile after arsenic intoxication in albino rats

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the combined effect of Eichhornia crassipes and Emblica officinalis on serum electrolytes and enzyme profile after arsenic intoxication in albino rats. E. officinalis has been used as a valuable ingredient of various medicines in India. Recent investigations has given ample evidences of various uses of Eichhornia crassipes as hyper accumulator of various toxins. Three groups of ten adult male albino rats each were administered 0.102 mg/L arsenic present in drinking water (collected from Sikandara area of Agra) for 30, 45 and 60 days and another three groups of ten rats were treated first with arsenic water in the same way as mentioned above and then treated with combined E. crassipes (10gm/Kg body weight) and E. officinalis (500 mg/Kg body weight) fruit extract (mixed in ratio of 1:2) orally for 15, 30 and 45 days, respectively. Results showed a very highly significant (p<0.001) increase in arsenic in the serum, a very highly significant (p<0.001) decrease in calcium, magnesium, sodium, significant (p< 0.05) decrease in potassium, very highly significant (p<0.001) increase in serum AST, ALT and nonsignificant (p>0.05) increase in LDH after arsenic water intoxication; while a very highly significant (p<0.001) decrease in serum arsenic, a very highly significant (p<0.001) increase in calcium, potassium, a non-significant increase in magnesium, non-significant (p>0.05) decrease in sodium, a very highly significant (p<0.001) decrease in serum AST, ALT and non-significant (p>0.05) decrease in LDH after combined E. crassipes and E. officinalis treatment, respectively. E. crassipes reduces the serum arsenic burden through chelation biomechanism and provides nutrients; while E. officinalis acts as a strong antioxidant. We concluded that E. crassipes and E. officinalis have compensated the arsenic toxicity that affects the body metabolism.