EFFECTS OF KUEI-PI-TANG ON CELLULAR IMMUNOCOMPETENCE OF GAMMA-IRRADIATED MICE

Kuei-Pi-Tang is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine which has been suggested to have therapeutic effects on hemato-deficient disease and radiation injuries. In order to further investigate its protection function, this study is focused on the efficacy of Kuei-Pi-Tang on cellular immunocompetence of gamma-ray irradiated mice. ICR strain male mice were chosen and divided into several groups for their different treatments of 4 Gy gamma-ray whole body irradiation and Kuei-Pi-Tang administration. After the treatments, six to eight mice from each group were sacrificed on days 1, 5, 12, 19, 26 and 33. The body and splenic weights of mice by different treatments were measured and the splenic cells separated thereafter. The changes of cellular immunocompetence in mice following treatments were measured by H-3-thymidine incorporation. The results revealed that 4 Gy of gamma-ray irradiation inhibits the increases of body and splenic weights and exerts a pronounced inhibitory effect on the incorporative rates of H-3-thymidine in the splenic lymphoid cells which have been stimulated by mitogens. Kuei-Pi-Tang administration seems to increase the recovery of the cellular immunocompetence, especially for the treatment of Kuei-Pi-Tang administered with the concentration of 20 mg/20 g body weight after gamma-ray irradiation.