Protective effect of an herbal preparation (HemoHIM) on radiation-induced intestinal injury in mice

摘要

The protective properties of an herbal preparation (HemoHIM) against intestinal damage were examined by evaluating its effects on jejunal crypt survival, morphological changes, and apoptosis in γ-irradiated mice. The mice were whole-body irradiated with 12Gy for the examination of jejunal crypt survival and any morphological changes and with 2Gy for the detection of apoptosis and Ki-67 labeling. Irradiation was conducted using 60Co γ-rays. HemoHIM treatment was administered intraperitonially at a dosage of 50mg/kg of body weight at 36 and 12 hours pre-irradiation and 30 minutes post-irradiation or orally at a dosage of 250mg/kg of body weight/day for 7 or 11 days before necropsy. The HemoHIM-treated group displayed a significant increase in survival of jejunal crypts, when compared to the irradiation controls. HemoHIM treatment decreased intestinal morphological changes such as crypt depth, villus height, mucosal length, and basal lamina length of 10 enterocytes after irradiation. Furthermore, the administration of HemoHIM protected intestinal cells from irradiation-induced apoptosis. These results suggested that HemoHIM may be therapeutically useful to reduce intestinal injury following irradiation.