Effects of Sour Tastes on Blood Components in Anemic mice - Animal Experiment for Nursing Intervention of Female Anemia -

Shin, Hye Sook; Kim, Sang Woo

Abstract

Many women in the world have suffered from anemia produced by menstruation, pregnancy and delivery. In the theory of oriental medicine, a sour taste is believed to have a tonic effect on the blood. Thus this paper is to investigate the effect of sour tastes on the improvement in anemia-induced female mice, using citric acid and Fructus schizandrae. The method used in this experiment was the change of RBC, WBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Fe, and TIBC in the blood of female mice who were fed citric acid and Fructus schizandrae. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. Compared with the control group (anemia-induced group without treatment), the mean number of RBC in the blood of mice was significantly increased only in evaluating the change of sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 500mg/kg. 2. Compared with the control group (anemia-induced group without treatment), the mean number of WBC in the blood of mice was not significantly larger in both sample groups fed citric acid and Fructus schizandrae. 3. Compared with the control group (anemia-induced group without treatment), the mean number of Hemoglobin in the blood of mice was significantly larger only in evaluating the change of the sample group fed Fructus schizandrae. 4. Compared with the control group (anemia-induced group without treatment), the mean percentage of Hematocrit in blood of mice was significantly increased only in evaluating the change of sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 500mg/kg and sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 250mg/kg for 3days. 5. Compared with control group (anemia- induced group without treatment), the mean volume of Fe in serum of mice was significantly increased only in evaluating the change of sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 500mg/kg. 6. Compared with control group (anemia-induced group without treatment), the mean TIBC in serum of mice was significantly increased only in evaluating the change of sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 500mg/kg and sample group fed Fructus schizandrae 250mg/kg for 7days. According to these results, a sour taste is presumed to have a general tonic effect on anemia, but more study must be taken on the effects of citric acid in improving female anemia.