evaluation of radioprotective efficacy of drymaria cordata extract on whole-body radiation-induced hematological damage in mice

Introduction: ionising radiation in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology is steadily increasing, with clear significant benefits. however, the issues of unwanted radiation exposure to patients and medical workers, which has a hugely deleterious effect, remain a challenge that requires urgent attention. thus, this study aimed to evaluate the possible radioprotective potential of drymaria cordata (dc) extract on mice’s hematological parameters following exposure to x-ray radiation and investigate its ability to increase the survival rate. material and methods: sixty female mice weighing 38-45g, 10-12 weeks old, were used for this study. the mice were divided into six different groups containing ten mice, sub-divided into irradiated and un-irradiated groups. the animals received 250mg/kg extract of dc by oral gavage for thirteen days in addition to feeding and water ad libitum. mice were irradiated at the radiotherapy and oncology department of grey’s hospital using a linear accelerator. blood samples were collected at different time intervals for the hematology test with post-irradiation monitoring for 30 days. results: exposure of mice to 4gy and 8gy of x-ray radiation produced significant changes in the mice’s erythrocytes, hematocrit, leukocytes and platelets in a dose and time-dependent manner compared with the control (cnt) group. the present study revealed a progressive decrease in all the hematological parameters until 30 days among the irradiated groups. however, animals treated with dc extract before irradiation and animals who received extract only exhibited a significant time-dependent increase in the studied hematological parameters compared to the animals in the cnt group. furthermore, the pre-treatment of mice with the dc delayed the onset of mortality, thereby increasing the mice's survival rate compared with the irradiated control. conclusion: our findings showed that dc is a potent natural radioprotective agent through its ability to reduce radiation-induced damage in mice’s hematopoietic system and increase the survival rate.