Protective Effect of Ficus Benghalensis on Cyclophosphamide Induced Neurotoxicity and Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is a medication primarily used in the management and treatment of neoplasms, including multiple myeloma, sarcoma, and breast cancer. This cytotoxic attack of CPA not only targets cancer cells but also affects healthy organ cells, resulting in side effects and toxicity. This systemic toxicity impacts critical organs such as the brain, liver, testis, bladder, heart, kidney, and immune cells. Ficus benghalensis, a member of the Moraceae family, consists of flavonoids such as rutin, benghalenosides, delphinidin-3-o-α-L rhamnoside, quercetine-3-galactoside etc. This study aims to investigate whether Ficus benghalensis can mitigate the toxicity induced by cyclophosphamide. To assess the protective effects of aqueous extract of Ficus benghalensis on cyclophosphamide induced Neurotoxicity and Hepatotoxicity, four experimental groups, consisting of six rats each, were randomly assigned from the total of twenty-four rats. Group I , standard control group, Group II received 100 mg/kg of aqueous leaf extract of Ficus benghalensis, Group III received 100 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide, Group IV received 100 mg/kg of aqueous leaf extract of Ficus benghalensis and 100 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide. The animals were weighed and sacrificed. The brain and liver were removed 24 hours after the last treatment, stored in 10% formalin at room temperature for histopathological analysis. In the Ficus benghalensis and cyclophosphamide treated group, both liver and brain sections exhibited histological characteristics comparable to the control group, indicating a significant preservation of tissue integrity. This improvement may be attributed to the antioxidant properties of Ficus benghalensis, which could counteract oxidative stress and cellular damage induced by CPA.