Radioprotective Effect of Ethanolic Roselle Extract (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) in Recurrent Radiodiagnostic Ionizing Radiation: The Study of Red Blood Cells Peripheral Blood in Mice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the radioprotective effect of ethanolic roselle extract in recurrent radiodiagnostic ionizing radiation on peripheral red blood cells of mice. Forty eight male mice were used in this study and divided into 4 group; K-(physiological saline without radiation), K+ (physiological saline with radiation), R- (roselle extract without radiation), R+ (roselle extract with radiation). The mice were treated with 50 mg per kg body weight roselle extract prior to radiation exposure. Following these treatment, the mice were exposed with ionizing radiation at dose 0.2 mSv every two days for 8 weeks. Bloods sample were collected from each group at week 0 before treatment, 2, 4, 6, and 8 week after treatment. The bloods sample were taken at 4 and 8 week, which previously without radiation exposure for 30 days as recovery phase. The result showed that radiation exposure caused an increasing number of Mean Corpuscular Volume, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration and Howell Jolly Bodies in the peripheral blood tissue. However, roselle extract caused a decreasing number of the parameters. This result indicated that ethanolic roselle extract has radioprotective effect on red blood cells repair process from ionizing radiation destruction.