Screening of the phytochemical constituents of Teucrium polium extract and evaluation of their prophylactic role against the oxidative damage and cytotoxicity of Aflatoxin B₁ in rats

Aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) is common carcinogen causing acute and chronic hepatocyte injuries. This study aimed to determine the bioactive components of Teucrium polium methanolic extract (TPE) and to evaluate their protective role against AFB(1)-induced oxidative damage, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in rats. Six groups of male albino rats were treated orally for 4 weeks including the control group, the AFB(1)-treated group (80 mu g/kg b.w.), the groups treated with low (LD) or high (HD) dose TPE (50 or 100 mg/kg b.w.), and the groups treated with AFB(1) plus TEP (LD) or TPE (HD). Blood and serum samples were collected for different assays. The GC-MS identified 34 compounds, the major compounds were pinene, germacrene D, alpha-cadinol, alpha-thujene, epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene, and limonene. Animals that received AFB(1) showed significant changes in all indicators of oxidative stress, biochemistry, cytokines, MNPCEs, comet tail formation in bone marrow, mRNA expression of inflammatory-related genes, Nrf2, and iNOS beside histological changes in the liver. TPE at the two doses tested showed insignificant changes in all tested parameters. The extract could normalize most of these parameters and the hepatic structure in AFB(1)-treated animals in a dose-dependent fashion. therefore, we concluded that TPE supplementation is effective for protection against AFB(1) in endemic areas.