Effect of Vitamin C on Arsenic Induced Oxidative Stress in Buffalo Erythrocytes in Vitro

Exposure to arsenic, a highly toxic trace metalloid causes disturbances in cellular redox status leading to serious health hazards in dairy animals including buffaloes, subsequently affecting human through consumption of milk.Exposure of buffalo erythrocytes to varying concentration of sodium arsenite (0.01-0.5g for 2hrs.)decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase; and increased the malondialdehyde generation and fragility of erythrocytes in a concentration dependent manner compared to the corresponding controls.Vitamin C treatment @10mg/ml to sodium arsenite (0.5g) challenged buffalo erythrocytes for 2hrs.effectively in vitro modulated the oxidative stress as evidenced from the improved membrane lipid peroxidation, erythrocytic fragility and enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase compared to the corresponding controls which can be attributed to the antioxidant characteristics of Vitamin C against arsenic.This study demonstrated that acute exposure of sodium arsenite, trivalent arsenic to the buffalo erythrocytes produces oxidative stress through enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation and depletion of intracellular enzymatic antioxidant defense, which was modulated by vitamin C.