Mitigating the effects of Xuebijing injection on hematopoietic cell injury induced by total body irradiation with γ rays by decreasing reactive oxygen species levels

Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Jun 12;15(6):10541-53. doi: 10.3390/ijms150610541.

Abstract

Hematopoietic injury is the most common side effect of radiotherapy. However, the methods available for the mitigating of radiation injury remain limited. Xuebijing injection (XBJ) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat sepsis in the clinic. In this study, we investigated the effects of XBJ on the survival rate in mice with hematopoietic injury induced by γ ray ionizing radiation (IR). Mice were intraperitoneally injected with XBJ daily for seven days after total body irradiation (TBI). Our results showed that XBJ (0.4 mL/kg) significantly increased 30-day survival rates in mice exposed to 7.5 Gy TBI. This effect may be attributable to improved preservation of white blood cells (WBCs) and hematopoietic cells, given that bone marrow (BM) cells from XBJ-treated mice produced more granulocyte-macrophage colony forming units (CFU-GM) than that in the 2 Gy/TBI group. XBJ also decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by increasing glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in serum and attenuated the increased BM cell apoptosis caused by 2 Gy/TBI. In conclusion, these findings suggest that XBJ enhances the survival rate of irradiated mice and attenuates the effects of radiation on hematopoietic injury by decreasing ROS production in BM cells, indicating that XBJ may be a promising therapeutic candidate for reducing hematopoietic radiation injury.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Apoptosis / radiation effects
  • Bone Marrow Cells / drug effects
  • Bone Marrow Cells / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow Cells / radiation effects
  • Colony-Forming Units Assay
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology*
  • Gamma Rays*
  • Glutathione / blood
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / radiation effects
  • Male
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Superoxide Dismutase / blood
  • Whole-Body Irradiation

Substances

  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Xuebijing
  • Superoxide Dismutase
  • Glutathione