Tinospora rumphii (T. rumphii) is a folkloric medicinal plant that is widely distributed in Asia and Africa. It has been widely used by locals to treat many diseases including jaundice, which is a manifestation of liver damage. We investigated the action of T. rumphii crude extract together with zinc sulphate, a known tumor modulator, on hepatic injuries induced by intraperitoneal (i.p) injections of quinoline on albino mice. The hepatotoxic effect was assessed by bilirubin concentration in the blood serum, while the genotoxic effect was determined by single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). The mice orally fed with the crude extracts, following quinoline exposure, had reduced serum bilirubin concentration and DNA damage. Mice treated with Zinc sulphate, on the other hand, had remarkably reduced DNA damage on hepatocytes. Our findings showed that hepatoprotective potential of T. rumphii extract is dose-dependent and that utilization of the extract as medicinal remedy must be strictly monitored, while zinc was proven to reverse genotoxic effect of quinoline. This study unraveled the potential of T. rumphii extract and zinc as important hepatoprotective agents for future treatment of hepatic damage caused by chemotherapeutic agents used in cancer treatment. 1. Introduction Many antineoplastic agents are found and isolated in plants. However, the capacity of nature to produce these agents was not fully exploited by scientists. These are the plants that have long been used in folkloric medicines for treating illnesses. Today, most of the plants that are used in folkloric medicines were found experimentally to have components that are of medical importance. The therapeutic uses of these components are now available in most literatures world-wide. Tinospora rumphii (Syn. T. Crispa, Menispermaceae) also known as “makabuhai,” one of the folkloric medicinal plants that is widely distributed in Asia and Africa, has been used as herbal remedy for a long time [1, 2]. It is commonly prescribed as an aqueous extract in the treatment of stomach trouble, indigestion, diarrhea, toothache, and topical ulcers [3, 4]. In powder form, it is prescribed for fevers, an effective cure for rheumatism, flatulence of children, and jaundice, while the decoction of the stem is reputed to be an excellent remedy for itches and cancerous wounds, and as antimalarial agent [3, 5]. It was also reported to have stimulatory effect on glucose transporters in mice, may have antidiabetic potential [6, 7], and may be a potent antioxidant [8]. A handful of studies on this medicinal plant have
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