Anti-radiation damage effect of polyethylenimine as a toll-like receptor 5 targeted agonist

Hu, Zhiqiang; Xing, Yaling; Qian, Yuanyu; Chen, Xiaojuan; Tu, Jian; Ren, Lening; Wang, Kai; Chen, Zhongbin

Following animal ethics approval from the Experimental Animal Care and Ethics Committee of Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 41 male C57BL/6J mice (7-8 weeks old, 19.86 ± 0.98 g) were purchased from the Experimental Animal Center, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine. Animals were handled in accordance with Experimental Animal Care and Ethics Committee guidelines and the Code of Practice for the Care and use of Animals for Scientific Purposes. Animals were housed in a parasite-free environment. Bedding was changed twice a week, and food and water were provided ad libitum. Animals were allowed to acclimatize to new surroundings before the experiment began. According to our experimental design, the minimal number of animals required was used. Mice were randomly divided into four groups: IR mock group (saline 20 ml/kg, irradiation, n = 10), low dose PEI group (5 mg/kg of PEI, irradiation, n = 10), radiation protection positive control group (AMI, 150 mg/kg, irradiation, n = 10) and high dose PEI group (10 mg/kg of PEI, irradiation, n = 11).