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J Vet Sci. 2007 Dec;8(4):341-351 |
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Phytotherapeutic effects of Echinacea purpurea in gamma-irradiated mice
Amira M. K. Abouelella1, Yasser E. Shahein2,*, Sameh S. Tawfik3, Ahmed M. Zahran1 |
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1Radiation Biology Department, National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Cairo, Egypt
2Molecular Biology Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
3Health Radiation Research Department, National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Cairo, Egypt
* yassershahein_nrc@yahoo.com |
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Echinacea (E.) purpurea herb is commonly known as the
purple coneflower, red sunflower and rudbeckia. In this
paper, we report the curative efficacy of an Echinacea extract
in ¥ã-irradiated mice. E. purpurea was given to male
mice that were divided into five groups (control, treated,
irradiated, treated before irradiation & treated after irradiation)
at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight for 2 weeks before
and after irradiation with 3 Gy of ¥ã-rays. The results
reflected the detrimental reduction effects of ¥ã-rays on peripheral
blood hemoglobin and the levels of red blood
cells, differential white blood cells, and bone marrow cells.
The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) level,
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase
(GSPx) activities and DNA fragmentation were also
investigated. FT-Raman spectroscopy was used to explore
the structural changes in liver tissues. Significant changes
were observed in the microenvironment of the major constituents,
including tyrosine and protein secondary structures.
E. purpurea administration significantly ameliorated
all estimated parameters. The radio-protection effectiveness
was similar to the radio-recovery curativeness
in comparison to the control group in most of the tested
parameters. The radio-protection efficiency was greater
than the radio-recovery in hemoglobin level during the
first two weeks, in lymphoid cell count and TBARs level at
the fourth week and in SOD activity during the first two
weeks, as compared to the levels of these parameters in the
control group.
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