title: Radioprotective property of an aqueous extract from valeriana wallichii.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preparations of herbal drugs have drawn considerable interest in scientific community in recent years for the treatment of several stress related health problems including radiation-injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  An aqueous extract from Valeriana wallichii containing hesperidin as one of its major constituent was evaluated for its ability to protect against radiation-injury in model systems like plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and cultured human fibroblast cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The extract was found to significantly counter radiation-induced free radicals at 4 h after 5 Gy irradiation, reduced prolonged oxidative stress led increase in mitochondrial mass, enhanced reproductive viability of cultured cells and protected against radiation-induced DNA damage in solution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies are required to validate the radioprotective ability of the extract and to develop a safer radioprotective agent.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Omika
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Katoch
authors.forename: Shikha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaushik
authors.forename: Mysore Sadashiv Yogendra
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Paban K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Agrawala
authors.forename: Kshipra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Misra