Preventive effect of selenium enriched-spiruline-(SESP) on early fibrous proliferation in lungs and livers of rats irradiated with 60Co-rays

The aim was to inquire into the means of preventing pneumonia induced by thoracic irradiation. Wistar rats 2 months old were divided randomly into 3 groups: normal control (C), irradiated control (I) and irradiated and treated with SESP(S). Rats in I and S groups were irradiated with γ-rays at a dose of 15 Gy thoracically. Seven days before irradiation the rats in SESP group started to be treated with SESP at a dose of 50 mg per day by garaging and continued to the end of the experiment. The contents of hydroxyproline (Hyp) in lungs and livers were determined at different time after irradiation. The Hyp contents in the left lung of rats at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 months after irradiation were 1.12 +- 0.11, 1.00 +- 0.16, 1.72 +- 0.39 (P<0.05), and 2.60 +- 0.26 (P<0.01) in I group; they were 1.00 +- 0.11, 0.95 +- 0.29, 1.14 +- 0.29 and 1.64 +- 0.17 in C group and 1.06 +- 0.06, 1.04 +-0.15, 1.36 +- 0.22 and 1.58 +- 0.30 in S group, respectively. The Hyp content in livers were 2.95 +- 0.43 (P<0.05), 2.90 +- 0.28 (P<0.05), 3.67 +- 0.17 (P<0.05), 4.02 +- 0.32 in I group; they were 2.17 +- 0.41, 2.41 +- 0.044 and 2.65 +- 0.19 and 3.24 +- 0.39 in C group and 2.76 +- 0.32, 2.80 +- 0.16, 3.07 +- 0.35 and 3.32 +- 0.31 in S group, respectively. Compared with the data of I group, the contents of Hyp in lungs and livers of rats in S group decreased significantly. SESP might have the ability to prevent fibrous proliferation in lungs and livers induced by thoracic irradiation during early stage