Effect of polysaccharides from Angelica sinensis on Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression of Irradiated liver cells

Objective To investigate the effect of polysaccharides from Angelica sinensis (ASP3) on Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression of irradiated liver cells from mice.Methods Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression of liver cells in vitro exposed to 2.0 Gy rays were examined by using immunohistochemistry method.Results The expression of apoptosis-accelerating protein Bax in the irradiation group was enhanced obviously(70.83%),while apoptosis inhibiting protein Bcl-2 tended to decline(55.60%),with the statistically significant difference(P＜0.01) compared with that of the control.ASP3 pretreatmcnt could regulate Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression of liver cells,inhibiting Bax protein expression(64.14/58.37%) and increasing Bcl-2 protein expression( 59.21%/67.45%).The differences between the high dosage (100 mg/L of ASP3) and the irradiation group were statistically significant( P＜0.05 ).Conclusions ASP3 pretreatment could prohibit the apoptosis of radiationdamaged liver cells due to abnormal expression of Bcl-2 and Bax,and reduce the cell apoptosis by increasing Bcl-2/Bax protein expression so as to enhance the radiation endurance of liver cells. Key words: Angelica sinensis; Polysaccharides; Bcl-2; Bax; Apoptosis; Radioprotection