Study On The Effects Of Soybean Isoflavones Against Gamma Radiation-induced Damages In Mice And The Mechanism Involved

Soybean isoflavones are polyphenol compounds present in relatively high levels in soybeans. The compounds are known to exhibit multiple functions. The cancer-preventive and antiosteoporosis activity of soybean isoflavones have been shown. Some of the observed pharmacological effects of soybean isoflavones can be associated with its estrogenic activity. In recent years, increasing evidences indicate that soybean isoflavones exhibit radicals scavenging activity and antioxidant properties. Free radicals play important role in the damages induced by radiation .Our laboratory presumed that soybean isoflavones may have antiradiation activity and first report the experimental results that soybean isoflavones exhibit protection against radiation .The purpose of this study is to investigate the protection of soybean isoflavones against damages of hematogenic and immune system induced by radiation and the mechanism involved and get some experimental evidences for application of soybean isoflavones as an antiradiation agent.Mice were exposed to total body radiation with a single dose of 4.0 Gy in vivo. We observed the effects of soybean isoflavones on the damage of hematogenic and immune system induced by radiation. Results of this study demonstrated the hematogenic and immune system of mice were damaged by radiation seriously. (l)The colony forming units-spleen , hemopoietic progenitor cell colony forming units and fibrolast colony forming unit were significantly increased in irradiated mice that were pre-treated with soybean isoflavones. The rate of comet cell in the single cell gel electrophoresis test was significantly decreased. In addition there was a tendency that the DNA content of bone marrow cells of the pre-treated mice with soybean isoflavones was increased. (2) The content of erythrocytolysin in serum, the spontaneous reproductive activity of the...