Extract of astragalus membranaceus and ligustrum lucidum does not prevent cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression

There is increasing evidence that many Chinese medicinal herbs are promising biological response modifiers in cancer treatment. The extract of some Chinese herbs have shown ability in stimulating the bone marrow and improving the peripheral white cell counts in rats. We studied the effect of a dried extract of two commonly used Chinese herbs, Astragalus membranaceus (AM) and Ligustrum lucidum (LL) on cytotoxic-induced myelosuppression. Wistar rats weighing 250-300g each were divided into two groups of 12. Both groups were given cyclophosphamide intravenously at 75 mg/kg on day 1 of the study. Rats in the study group were fed 240 mg of crude extract of AM and LL from day 1 to day 12 of study. The daily absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and the platelet count were monitored. There was no difference between the study and the control group in terms of nadir count, time to nadir and time to recovery for both the ANC and the platelet counts. The duration of neutropenia (ANC < 1.0 x 10(9)/L) was also similar in both groups. Our results showed that the extract of AM and LL does not prevent cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression.