Abstract
甘草是我國傳統醫學中常使用到的藥材。在臨床上甘草多用於治療咽喉腫 痛、咳嗽、心悸、腸腹虛痛、潰瘍、瘡瘍等病。本研究的目的在探討以傳 統中醫所使用的甘草、及由甘草提煉的甘草酸，對輻射傷害的防護及治療 效果，以實驗動物模式進行評估。本實驗選用ICR種系， 6至8週大的雄性 小白鼠為材料，觀查甘草及甘草酸的前處理對輻射後鼷鼠的防護作用，以 及鼷鼠輻射後，甘草及甘草酸的處理對輻射傷害的治療效果。分別記錄鼷 鼠的骨髓細胞相對存活比率，及胸腺和睪丸的相對重量比的變化，並觀察 骨髓， 胸腺及睪丸內細胞的DNA，RNA及蛋白質生合成變化，作為療效評 估的依據。實驗結果顯示：在輻射防護及治療方面以甘草及甘草酸處理的 鼷鼠其骨髓細胞相對存活率，及DNA，RNA及蛋白質生合成都較輻射對照組 者早恢復，顯示甘草及甘草酸對輻射治療及防護亦具有效果。 Glycyrrhizae (GL), commonly called licorice, has been used against gastric ulcers and other diseases in Europe and Asia,and it still occupies an important place in traditional Oriental medicine. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), the main component of GL have been extensively studied in relation to varied biological activity such as anti-inflammatory activity, direct and indirect antivival activity and interferon inducibility. The effects of GL and GA on the survival rate of bone marrow cells, the synthesis rate of DNA,RNA and protein of murine thymus,testis and bone marrow cells after or before γ-ray irradiation were investigated in this study. The method of radioisotope incorporation is used to measure the synthetic rate of DNA,RNA and protein in thymus, testis and bone marrow cells of mice. The present results showed that the relative thymus and testis weight of irradiated mice decreased significiently on the fifth day after γ-ray treatment. It increased obviously on the 19th day with GA and GL treatment respectively. The DNA synthesis recovered significiently on the 19th day after in GA and GL treatment. The results also showed that the DNA, RNA and protein synthetic rates were recoveried rapidly in GA or GL treated andγ-irradiated mice, compared to the irradiation control.