Effects of Sheng-Mai injection on the PRPP synthetase activity in BFU-Es and CFU-Es from bone marrows of mice with benzene-induced aplastic anemia

160 Kunming mice were divided at random into 3 groups. Group 1: normal cont rol (40 mice). Group 2: aplastic anemia (AA) control (60 mice); benzene inh alation was carried out for 2.5 months and sterilized normal saline was inj ected ip. for another 6 weeks. Group 3: treated AA (60 mice); benzene was a dministered by inhalation in a similar manner, Sheng-Mai Injection (SMI) wa s administered ip. for 6 weeks after the AA models were established. SMI is a famous Chinese traditional prescription of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (0.1 g/ml), Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker-Gawl (0.312g/ml) and Fructus Schis andrae (0.158g/ml). Activities of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, (PRPP) synth etase in BFU-Es and CFU-Es were estimated by ion pair reversed phase HPLC ( IPrHPLC). Accompanying the sharp drop in counts of erythroid progenitor cel ls, the PRPP synthetase activity in CFU-Es of AA mice was reduced significa ntly (P <0.01), whereas there were no remarkable changes of this enzyme act ivity in their BFU-Es compared with the control group. Both the counts of e rythroid progenitor cells and PRPP synthetase activity in CFU-Es returned n early to normal levels following treatment with SMI of mice in Group 3 (P < 0.01). Our results suggest that the attenuation of PRPP synthetase activity in peripheral erythrocytes of AA patients may originate from the weakening of activity of this enzyme in CFU-Es from their bone marrow. The impairmen t of PRPP formation would explain ATP depletion and disorders of energy met abolism in AA erythrocytes. SMI can distinctly increase the reduced quantit y of erythroid progenitor cells and promote rapid restoration of PRPP synth etase activity in CFU-Es of AA mice. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rig hts reserved.