Aloe vera modulates X-ray induced bone mineral loss and other deleterious effects on various tissues of mice

The present study was designed to examine the effects of Aloe vera on whole body X-ray exposure induced injury to heart, lung, and bone of male balb/c mice. Animals were divided into four groups: control, Aloe vera (50 mg/kg body weight on alternate days for 30 days), X-ray (2Gy) and Aloe vera+ X-ray. X-ray irradiation led to enhanced lipid peroxidation level associated with decline in reduced glutathione concentration in pulmonary tissue of mice. Moreover, lipid peroxidation level and reduced glutathione content in cardiac tissue remained unaltered after radiation exposure. In addition, X-ray exposure caused poor and delayed uptake of 99mTc-mebrofenin as observed in hepatobiliary clearance study. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan revealed a significant decrease in bone mineral density after X-ray irradiation. Aloe vera administration to radiation exposed animals restored pulmonary reduced glutathione content and lipid peroxidation level along with significantly improved bone mineral density and hepatobiliary clearance profile as compared to irradiated counterparts. The current observations suggest that Aloe vera plays vital role in modulating deleterious effects caused by X-ray exposure in various organs of mice, which may attributed its free radical scavenging ability and strengthening of antioxidant defense system