Modification of Radiation Response in Mice by Dongchongxiacao(Paecilomyces japonica)

Kim, Se-ra; Oh, Heon; Lee, Hae-june; Shin, Dong-ho; Kim, Jong-choon; Park, In-chul; Oh, Ki-seok; Jo, Sung-kee; Kim, Sung-ho

Korean Journal of Veterinary Research 2003;43(2):181-188.

Se-ra Kim¹, Heon Oh¹, Hae-june Lee¹, Dong-ho Shin¹, Jong-choon Kim¹, In-chul Park¹, Ki-seok Oh¹, Sung-kee Jo², Sung-ho Kim¹

¹College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University
²Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

고선량 및 저선량 방사선 조사 마우스에서 누에동충하초(Paecilomyces japonica)의 효과

김세라¹, 오헌¹, 이해준¹, 신동호¹, 김종춘¹, 박인철¹, 오기석¹, 조성기², 김성호¹

¹전남대학교 수의과대학
²한국원자력연구소

Abstract

Cordyceps has a reputation for its broad biological activities and as a tonic which replenishs vital function in Chinese traditional medicines. As an attempt to obtain fundamental data for the development of new type Cordyceps, the effects of the fruiting bodies of cultivated fungus of Paecilomyces japonica grown on silkworm larvae on radiationinduced damages were investigated. We performed this study to determine the effect of Dongchongxiacao (Paecilomyces japonica) on jejunal crypt survival, endogenous spleen colony formation, and apoptosis in jejunal crypt cells and hair follicles of mice irradiated with high and low dose of gamma-radiation. Treatment with Dongchongxiacao showed no significant modifying effects on the jejunal crypt survival and endogenous spleen colony formation. The frequency of radiationinduced apoptosis was reduced by pretreatment of Dongchongxiacao (i.p.: 50 mg/kg of body weight, at 12 and 36 hours before irradiation, p<0.01). The spontaneous levels of apoptotic cells are $0.082{pm}0.041$ in intestinal crypts and $0.231{pm}0.084$ per hair follicle section of skin. Pretreatment of Dongchongxiacao was associated with decreases of 26.86% in intestinal crypt and 66.36% in hair follicle decrease in the number of cells with nuclei positively stained for apoptosis compared with the irradiation control group. We demonstrated for the first time that Dongchongxiacao administration could reduce the extent of apoptosis produced by radiation in the hair follicle. The results presented herein that Dongchongxiacao given before irradiation is capable of reducing the severity of cell loss as a result of apoptosis.

Key Words: Radiation, crypt survival, spleen colony, apoptosis, hair follicle, Dongchongxiacao (Paecilomyces japonica)