Hematopoietic Effects of Paeoniflorin and Albiflorin on Radiotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression Mice

Abstract

Paeonia lactiflora root (baishao in Chinese) is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Paeoniflorin (PF) and albiflorin (AF) are two major active constituents of P. lactiflora. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the hematopoietic effects of PF and AF on myelosuppression mice induced by radiotherapy and to explore the underlying mechanism. The finding indicated that PF and AF significantly increased the numbers of white blood cells (WBC) and reversed the atrophy of thymus. Furthermore, PF and AF increased the levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) and reduced the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum and increased the level of colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in plasma. Lastly, PF and AF not only enhanced the mRNA levels of GM-CSF and G-CSF in the spleens, but also increased the protein levels of G-CSF and GM-CSF in bone marrow. Our results suggest that PF and AF may promote the recovery of bone marrow hemopoietic function in a myelosuppressed mouse model.

Figure 1

Chemical structures and HPLC chromatograms of paeoniflorin (PF) (a) and albiflorin (AF) (b).

Figure 2

Effects of PF and AF on body weight, thymus index, and spleen index. Control = negative control (with same volume of physiologic saline). Data are expressed as means ± SD (n = 10). Compared with the control group: ^## P < 0.01 and ^### P < 0.001; compared with the model group: ^∗ P < 0.05 and ^∗∗ P < 0.01.

Figure 3

Effects of PF and AF on the bone marrow tissue histomorphology of femoral bone (H&E staining. (a): 1 × 200, (b): 1 × 400).

Figure 4

Effects of AF on GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-3, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA levels. Control = negative control (with same volume of physiologic saline). Data are expressed as means ± SD (n = 3). Compared with the control group: ^## P < 0.01; compared with the model group: ^∗ P < 0.05, ^∗∗ P < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗ P < 0.001.

Figure 5

Effects of PF and AF on GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-3, IL-6, and TNF-α protein levels. Control = negative control (with same volume of physiologic saline). Data are expressed as means ± SD (n = 3). Compared with the control group: ^# P < 0.05 and ^## P < 0.01; compared with the model group: ^∗∗ P < 0.01 and ^∗∗∗ P < 0.001.