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Objective: To study the effects of astragalus membranaceus injection on sperm abnormality in Cd-induced rats., Methods: Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups: low concentration abstragalus membranaceus group(A1), high concentration astragalus membranaceus group(A2), cyclophosphamide group (CP), cadmium chloride group (Cd) and control group (C). Astragalus membranaceus injections 5 g/(kg.d) or 10 g/(kg.d) were given intraperitoneally to the rats of the A1, A2, CP and Cd groups. After 7 days, cadmium chloride(0.2 mg Cd/kg body weight) was administrated by intraperitoneal injection stimultaneously to the A1, A2 and Cd group rats. At 22 d after cadmium chloride induction, the rats were sacrificed and the testis coefficient, testicular sperm count, daily sperm production, epididymal sperm count and percentage of sperm abnorality were observed, and the testes and epididymides were studied pathologically., Results: Testis coefficient, testicular sperm count, daily sperm production and epididymal sperm count in the A2 group [(5.68 +/- 1.19), (49.01 +/- 8.78) x 10(6)/g, (10.25 +/- 2.30) x 10(6)/(g.d), (47.51 +/- 22.51) x 10(6)/ml] increased significantly compared with those of the Cd group [(3.11 +/- 0.16), (37.59 +/- 10.63) x 10(6)/g, (5.31 +/- 0.32) x 10(6)/(g.d), (10.89 +/- 2.45) x 10(6)/ml] (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The percentage of sperm abnormality in the A2 group [(7.04 +/- 0.12)%] decreased significantly compared with that of the Cd group [(17.81 +/- 1.55)%] (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: As an antimutagen astragalus membranaceus has practical value in occupational protection against Cd-induced genetic damage.

The induction of mucosal immunity is crucial in controlling viral replication during HIV infection. In this study we compare the ability of a recombinant Listeria monocytogenes that expresses and secretes the HIV Ag Gag to induce CD8(+) T cells against this Ag in the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, and Peyer's patches and the ability to provide effector Gag-specific CD8(+) T cells to the lamina propria after i.v., oral, or rectal administration of the vaccine. The levels of Ag-specific CD8(+)-activated T cells were measured ex vivo using intracellular cytokine staining for IFN-gamma and H-2K(d) Gag peptide tetramer staining. We found that all routes of immunization induced Gag-specific CD8(+) T cells in the spleen. After secondary infection, we observed substantial increases in splenic levels of CD8(+) T cells, and levels of Gag-specific cells were similar to those against listeriolysin O, the immunodominant Ag of L. monocytogenes. Both primary and secondary oral immunization resulted in abundant Gag-specific CD8(+)-activated T cells in the lamina propria that constituted approximately 35% of the CD8 compartment. However, significant levels of Gag and listeriolysin O-specific CD8(+) T cells were observed in mucosal lymphoid tissue only after two immunizations, perhaps because they had already entered the lamina propria compartment after a single immunization. In the context of HIV, a mucosally administered vaccine seems best calculated to prompt an immune response that is capable of preventing infection. The data presented in this report demonstrate that mucosally administered Listeria can prompt such a response and that booster doses can maintain this response.