OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Liangxuehuoxue Recipe (LXHXF), a compound traditional Chinese medicinal preparation, on the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in the lung tissue of rats exposed to X-ray radiation.

METHODSSeventy-two Wistar rats were randomized into exposure group (group A, without treatment) and small-, middle- and high-dose LXHXF groups (groups B, C, and D treated with LXHXF at the daily doses of 9, 18, and 36 g/kg, respectively). After X-ray exposure of the right lung at 3 Gy twice a week for 5 consecutive weeks, the rats were sacrificed at the end of the 5th, 12th and 26th weeks, and the lung tissues were taken for immunohistochemistry of the expressions of TNF-α and TGF-β.

RESULTSIn group A, the expression of TNF-α reached the peak level at 5 weeks and TGF-β expression was the highest at 12 and 26 weeks. LXHXF, especially at the middle and high doses, obviously inhibited the expression of TNF-α at 5 weeks; the treatments also resulted in significantly lowered expressions of TGF-β at all the time points of observation as compared with those in group A (P<0.01). The high- and middle-dose groups exhibited no significant difference in the expression levels of TNF-α and TGF-β in the experiment (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONTreatment with LXHXF can effectively inhibit TNF-α expression in the lung tissue in the early stage following radiation exposure, causing even more obvious inhibitory effect on TGF-β in the later stages. A higher dose of LXHXF produces more significant inhibitory effects on TNF-α and TGF-β expressions.