Abstract: o study the antioxidation of vitamin E and/or β-carotene on mice induced by radiation. METHODS： Mice were divided randomly into 5 groups of normal control, positive, vitamin E, β-carotene, vitamin E plusβ-carotene. All of the animals except the normal control were irradiated with 4.5 Gy of 60Coγ. After the radiation, the vitamin supplementation animals were given vitamin E [30 mg/(kg·d)] and/or β-carotene [20 mg/(kg·d)]. Three days later, the animals were sacrificed. The retinol binding protein (RBP) in serum was analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in serum and liver were determined with fluorometry. RESULTS: 60Coγradiation decreased the level of RBP in serum. Supplementation of vitamin E and/or β-carotene showed certain protection. Vitamin E and/or β-carotene also inhibited the increase of MDA and the decrease of GSH in serum and liver induced by 60Coγ radiation. Vitamin E alone showed the best protection. CONCLUSION： Both vitamin E and β-carotene showed protective effects on the oxidative injuries in mice induced by radiation. But the combined use of vitamin E andβ-carotene showed antagonistic rather than synergistic effect.

Key words: vitamin E, β-carotene, antioxidant, radiation