The reproductive capacity of male mice protected against the superlethal action of gamma radiation by the administration of a mixture of Archangelica officinalis and Ledum palustre extracts]

Thirty-day old albino mongrel male mice were exposed to gamma radiation (LD90/30) after preventive single injection of a mixture of extracts from Archangelica officinalis and Ledum palustre. One month after irradiation, the survivors were mated to nonirradiated females. Healthy offspring were obtained from 11 out 12 experimental males. The number of mouse pups was 10.2 +/- 0.6 and 7.4 +/- 0.7 in the experimental and nonirradiated groups respectively. The number of both sexes in the posterity of nonirradiated parents was equal, whereas in offspring of experimental groups, the number of female pups was 2.3 times larger than that of males. The experimental posterity was found to be resistant to supralethal radiation doses.