Gui-Pi-Wan extract acts as a radioprotective agent

The radioprotective effects of 6 Gui-Pi-Wan extracts were investigated by examining cell viability and 30-d survival of mice after total-body ⁶⁰Co irradiation. Pretreatment with Gui-Pi-Wan precipitate by water extraction and alcohol precipitation (PWA) prior to irradiation resulted in significantly higher cell survival and lower apoptosis rates at 24 h after 5 Gy radiation, and increased 30-d survival in mice after exposure to a potentially lethal dose of 8 Gy. These results collectively indicate that PWA of Gui-Pi-Wan extracts is an effective radioprotective agent.