Effect of catechin on bone marrow cell cycle and gene expression of hematopoietic growth factors

AimTo study the effect of catechin, the active component of Spatholobus suberectus Dunn, on bone marrow cell cycle and the expression of IL-6 and GM-CSF mRNA in spleen cells of normal and marrow-depressed mice in order to clarify the mechanism of hematopoietic-supportive effect of catechin. MethodsFlow cytometry was adopted to investigate the influence of catechin on bone marrow cell cycle in mice and the expression of IL-6 and GM-CSF mRNA induced by catechin in spleen cells was detected by RT-PCR technique simultaneously. ResultsThe cell proportion of normal and marrow-depressed mice in G₀/G₁ phase was reduced significantly, while that in S+G₂/M phase increased significantly. Being induced by catechin, IL-6 mRNA and GM-CSF mRNA in spleen cells were markedly up-regulated. ConclusionCatechin (2 g·L^-1, intraperitoneally injected to mice daily immediately after irradiation for 7 consecutive days) was shown to promote the expression of IL-6 mRNA and GM-CSF mRNA in spleen cells of mice, through which it can accelerate bone marrow cells of normal mice into cell cycle and help those of marrow-depressed mice to get out of “G₁-phase-block”, enter into cell cycle and radically accelerate the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell/hematopoietic progenitor cell (HSC/HPC).