title: Dragon's blood extracts reduce radiation-induced peripheral blood injury and protects human megakaryocyte cells from GM-CSF withdraw-induced apoptosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dragon's blood (DB), a Chinese traditional herb, was shown to have certain protective effects on radiation-induced bone marrow injury due to the presence of several phenolic compounds. The 50% ethanol extracts (DBE) were separated from DB by the methods of alcohol extracting-water precipitating. The protective effects of DBE on hematopoiesis were studied, particularly on megakaryocytes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we investigated the in vivo radioprotective effects of DBE on hematopoiesis and pathological changes using an irradiated-mouse model. Moreover, the protective effects and potential molecular mechanisms of DBE on megakaryocytopoiesis in vitro were explored in GM-CSF depletion-induced Mo7e cell model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DBE significantly promoted the recovery of peripheral blood cells in irradiated mice. Histology bone marrow confirmed the protective effect of DBE, as shown by an increased number of hematopoietic cells and a reduction of apoptosis. In a megakaryocytic apoptotic model, DBE (50 µg/mL) markedly alleviated GM-CSF withdrawal-induced apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest of Mo7e cells. DBE (50 µg/mL) also significantly decreased the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 expression, inhibited the active caspase-3 expression. In addition, DBE could induce ERK1/2 phosphorylation in GM-CSF-depleted Mo7e cell, but not Akt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrated that DBE could effectively accelerate the recovery of peripheral blood cells, especially platelet. DBE attenuated cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest through the decrease of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the reduction of active caspase-3 expression. The effect of DBE on Mo7e cells survival and proliferation is likely associated with the activation of ERK, but not Akt.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; China-America Institute of Neuroscience, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.affiliation: R&D, China Resources Sanjiu Medical&Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518110, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (Hospital 301), Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Qiutian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Murtaza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Shuangquan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Rongji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: deng@bit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: hqing@bit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qing
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D002453:Cell Cycle; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000737:chemistry*; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D019800:Phenol / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D019800:Phenol; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; C525191:dragon's blood
keywords: Apoptosis; Dragon's blood extracts; Hematopoiesis; Megakaryocytes