Protective effect of Sesbania grandiflora against cigarette smoke-induced oxidative damage in rats

Sesbania grandiflora, commonly known as "sesbania" and "agathi," is widely used in Indian traditional medicine for the treatment of a broad spectrum of diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the possible protective effect of an aqueous suspension of S. grandiflora (ASSG) leaves against cigarette smoke-induced oxidative damage in rats. Adult Wistar-Kyoto rats were exposed to cigarette smoke for a period of 90 days and treated with ASSG (1,000 mg/kg of body weight/day, p.o) for a period of 3 weeks. The levels of protein carbonyl and activities of cytochrome P450, NADPH oxidase, and xanthine oxidase were significantly increased, whereas the levels of total thiol, protein thiol, non-protein thiol, nucleic acids, and tissue protein were significantly reduced in lung, liver, kidney, and heart of cigarette smoke-exposed rats as compared with control rats. Plasma nitric oxide levels, measured as nitrite plus nitrate, were significantly increased in cigarette smoke-exposed rats when compared to the control rats. The above changes were ameliorated to near control in the treatment group. These results suggest that supplementation with ASSG reversed the cigarette smoke-induced oxidative damage in rats through its antioxidant potential. These results provide further support for the traditional use of S. grandiflora in the treatment of smoke-related diseases.