Inhibitory Effect of Salvadora persica (Miswak) against Cigarette Smoke‑induced Mutagenicity and Sperm Abnormalities in Rats

Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Salvadora persica against the cigarette smoke‑induced mutagenicity and sperm damages in rats. Materials and Methods: Young male Wistar rats of weight 120–140 g were exposed to the cigarette smoke for 8 weeks. The lyophilized decoction of S. persica was administered daily for 4 weeks by oral route at the doses 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. The somatic and germinal cells damages were determined by peripheral blood micronucleus and sperm abnormalities tests, respectively. In vitro antioxidant activity of the decoction was determined by hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay. Ginseng was used as a standard herbal agent. The results were analyzed statistically by one‑way ANOVA followed by Tukey test. P <0.05 was considered to indicate the significance of results. Results: The data from the present study indicated that cigarette smoke exposure significantly (P < 0.01) increased the population of micronucleated erythrocytes and sperm shape abnormalities and, reduced the polychromatic: normochromatic (P/N) ratio, and total sperm count compared to control. The administration of S. persica produced a dose‑dependent inhibition on somatic and male germinal cell damages induced by cigarette smoke and the significant (P < 0.05) activity was observed at 200 mg/kg. However, none of the tested doses enhanced significantly the P/N ratio. Ginseng at 100 mg/kg significantly (P < 0.01) prevented the cigarette smoke‑mediated damages. The in‑vitro antioxidant activity indicated both S. persica and ginseng possess scavenging activity against the hydrogen peroxide free radicals. Conclusion: The observation suggests that the decoction of S. persica can prevent the somatic and germinal cell nuclear damages induced by cigarette smoke exposure. These actions could be related to its antioxidant property.