Eulophia gracilis pseudobulb extract mitigates cyclophosphamide-induced genotoxicity and oxidative stress on murine hepatic tissue

The reports over the years on chemotherapeutic regimen involving cyclophosphamide (CYP), a bifunctional alkylating agent, demonstrated hepatotoxic side effect. Eulophia gracilis (EG) is a medicinal plant with folkloric utility in the treatment of liver damage and blood related diseases. However, there is a knowledge gap on the impact of E. gracilis effectiveness on CYP-associated hepatic toxicity in the literature. We investigated on potency of aqueous methanolic extract of E. gracilis (AMEG) and CYP-mediated hepatic toxicity in rats. Experimental rats were administered with CYP (2 mg/kg) or co-treated with AMEG (200 or 400 mg/kg) for 7 days consecutively. The result showed that co-treatment with AMEG significantly reduces alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities compared to the CYP group. Moreover, AMEG abated CYP-induced decreases in superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes in the liver homogenate. AMEG alleviated CYP-facilitated surges of hepatic concentration of advanced oxidized protein product (AOPPs) and lipid peroxidation in rats. Additionally, AMEG reduced pathological lesions in the liver of co-treated rats and elicited anti-genotoxic effect by mitigating CYP-mediated increases of frequency of formation of polychromatic erythrocyte in the bone marrow and hepatic percentage DNA fragmentation in CYP-exposed rats. Overall, AMEG protective effect improved liver dysfunction occasioned by CYP-mediated toxicities in rats by abating oxidative stress and alleviating genotoxic responses.