title: Radioprotective properties of Cumaside, a complex of triterpene glycosides from the sea cucumber Cucumaria japonica and cholesterol.
abstract: The radioprotective activity has been studied of a new immunomodulatory lead material, Cumaside, which is a complex of monosulfated triterpene glycosides from the edible sea cucumber Cucumaria japonica and cholesterol. Female CD-1 strain mice administered with prophylactic doses of Cumaside were irradiated using a Gamma-therapeutic device with a 60Co source (exposure dose 6.5 Gy, dose rate 1.14 Gy/min) and the average life span of the mice was determined. The animals administrated with Cumaside and irradiated were killed by pervisceral dislocation on days 4 and 9. Peripheral blood cell composition indexes, blood forming function and cell number in blood-forming organs and the number of pluripotent blood-forming stem cells were determined using standard procedures and the results compared with those of non-treated irradiated mice. The survivability percentage and average life span of the irradiated mice that were not treated with Cumaside were decreased in comparison with the Cumaside-treated groups. Especially, the leukocyte and neutrophil numbers in the blood (bone marrow from hip), and the weight and cell number of lymphoid organs were higher in the Cumaside-treated groups compared with the non-treated irradiated mice. It was concluded that at low prophylactic doses Cumaside possesses moderate radioprotective properties.
authors: Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 690022, Vladivostok, Russia. daminin@piboc.dvo.ru
authors: Dmitry L
authors: DL
authors: Aminin
authors: Tatiana S
authors: TS
authors: Zaporozhets
authors: Pelageya V
authors: PV
authors: Adryjashchenko
authors: Sergey A
authors: SA
authors: Avilov
authors: Vladimir I
authors: VI
authors: Kalinin
authors: Valentin A
authors: VA
authors: Stonik