Abstract:
Background: Arsenic is notorious for being used in many homicidal cases. This study was designed
to observe the toxic effects of low dose of arsenic on thyroid gland and body weight and its
amelioration by curcumin. Method: Thirty healthy female Sprague Dawley rats (body weight ~230 g)
were procured from The National Institute of Health Islamabad. After one week of acclimatization,
animals were randomly divided into three groups (n=10 each), e.g., Control group (C), Experimental
group-1 (E1) and Experimental group-2 (E2). The duration of the experiment was one month. Weight
of the animals was checked before and at the end of experiment. All the animals were continued on
standard diet and distilled water during experimental period. E1 was given 10 μg/10 mL of arsenic by
oral gavage daily. E2 was given 10 μg/10 mL of arsenic along with Curcumin (50 mg/Kg body
weight/day). At the end of experiment, the rats were euthanized to draw the blood and removal of
thyroid gland. Serum Triiodothyronine, Tetraiodothyronine and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone were
measured by ELISA. Histological changes were observed after haematoxylin and eosin staining.
Statistical analysis was done on SPSS-22 and p≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The
histological findings of thyroid gland, body weight and serum T3, T4 and TSH in E1 exhibited
abnormal results. E2 group showed the protecting role of curcumin suggesting protective role of
curcumin. Conclusion: Curcumin has protective effects against arsenic induced thyroid disruption and
body weight alterations.
