[Protective Effect of Lycium ruthenicum on Peripheral Blood System Against Radiation Injury in Mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of Lycium ruthenicum on peripheral blood system against radiation injury in mice. METHODS: Kunming mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, positive group and Lycium ruthenicum high dose (8 g/kg), middle dose (4 g/kg) and low dose (2 g/kg)treatment groups that experimented three days after irradiation. In the same way, groups were set at 7 days and 14 days after irradiation respectively. Lycium ruthenicum extract were administered orally to the mice in the three Lycium ruthenicum treatment groups and normal saline were administered orally to the mice in control group and model group for 14 days. Positive group were treated with radioprotective agent amifostine (WR-2721) at 30 min before irradiation. Except control group, mice in other groups received quantity of 5 Gy X-radiation whole body evenly with one time. Hemogram, organ index, DNA, Caspase-3, Caspase-6 and P53 contents were observed at the 3rd, 7th and 14th day after irradiation. RESULTS: Lycium ruthenicum significantly increased the total red blood cell count, hemoglobin count, the indexes of spleen and thymus and bone marrow DNA contents (P < 0.05), as well as decreased Caspase-3 and Caspase-6 contents in serum and the expression of P53 in intestinal crypt epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: The results showed that Lycium ruthenicum had protective effects on peripheral blood system against radiation injury in mice.

Production and cytogenetic characterization of intertribal somatic hybrids between Brassica napus and Isatis indigotica and backcross progenies.

Intertribal somatic hybrids between Brassica napus (2n = 38, AACC) and a dye and medicinal plant Isatis indigotica (2n = 14, II) were obtained by fusions of mesophyll protoplasts. From a total of 237 calli, only one symmetric hybrid (S2) and five asymmetric hybrids (As1, As4, As6, As7 and As12) were established in the field. These hybrids showed some morphological variations and had very low pollen fertility. Hybrids S2 and As1 possessed 2n = 52 (AACCII), the sum of the parental chromosomes, and As12 had 2n = 66 (possibly AACCIIII). Hybrids As4, As6 and As7 were mixoploids (2n = 48-62). Genomic in situ hybridization analysis revealed that pollen mother cells at diakinesis of As1 contained 26 bivalents comprising 19 from B. napus and 7 from I. indigotica and mainly showed the segregation 26:26 at anaphase I (AI) with 7 I. indigotica chromosomes in each polar group. Four BC(1) plants from As1 after pollinated by B. napus resembled mainly B. napus in morphology but also exhibited some characteristics from I. indigotica. These plants produced some seeds on selfing or pollination by B. napus. They had 2n = 45 (AACCI) and underwent pairing among the I. indigotica chromosomes and/or between the chromosomes of two parents at diakinesis. All hybrids mainly had the AFLP banding patterns from the addition of two parents plus some alterations. B. napus contributed chloroplast genomes in majority of the hybrids but some also had from I. indigotica. Production of B. napus-I. indigotica additions would be of considerable importance for genome analysis and breeding.