Interventional effect of astragale parenteral solution on the cognitive ability and behavioral changes of rats with acute radioactive injury

Aim: To observe the effect of astragale parenteral solution on the content of nitric oxide in brain and the cognitive ability and behavioral changes in rats after acute brain injury. Methods: The experiment was carried out in the rat laboratory of Union Hospital affiliated to Fujian Medical University from August 2004 to June 2005. A total of 120 healthy male 4-month-old Wistar rats were randomized into treatment model group (n=40), normal control group (n=40) and treatment group (n=40). Rats in the model group and treatment group were placed in the dark chamber with the radiation coefficient of 0, and irradiated with the 60C0 treatment meter (radiation source), the average radiation dosage was 0.8 Gy per minute, 2.25 Gy for each field, the total dosage was 4.5 Gy per minute for 160-170 s. The control group was sham-radiation control. 1 hour after irradiation, the rats in the model group and control group were treated with intraperitoneal injection of saline (100 mg/kg per day), and those in the treatment group were given intraperitoneal injection of astragale parenteral solution (100 mg/kg per day), they were treated for 2 continuous weeks. The changes of cognitive ability at different period of irradiation were observed with the one-way avoidance test, and the changes of nitric oxide were detected with Griess chromatometry. Results: All the 120 rats were involved in the analysis of results without deletion. (1) Cognitive ability observed with the one-way avoidance test: Before irradiation, the percentage of complete avoidance was insignificantly different among the groups; After 60C0 irradiation, the percentage of complete avoidance at the same time point was obviously decreased in the model group and treatment group as compared with the control group (F= 169.716-286.04, P< 0.05). (2) Comparison of the nitric oxide content among the 3 groups: The nitric oxide contents in frontal lobe and hippocampus were obviously increased in the model group and treatment group than in the control group (F=52.4-124.9, 77.9-200.8, P< 0.05). Conclusion: The intraperitoneal injection of astragale parenteral solution can ameliorate the cognitive ability and decrease the nitric oxide content in brain of rats with acute encephalopathy, and then plays a role in protecting radioactive brain injury.