THE EFFECT OF BU SHEN SHENG XUE FANG ON β- THALASSEMIA AT GENE LEVEL

Isoelectrofocusing electrophoresis, PCR-SSCP analysis with DNA direct sequencing and RT-PCR were used to analyze the constituents of hemoglobin, determine the pattern of globin gene mutation, and detect its mRNA transcription extent The results indicated that Bu Shen Sheng Xue Fang (BSSXF) significantly increased the contents of hemoglobin (Hb) and fetal hemoglobin (HbF), and the chain ratio in patients with β-thalassemia. The drug is markedly effective in heterozygous, but not effective in homozygous or genetic compound patients. It was suggested that the β-globin gene defects were compensated by elevating the γ/β+γ ratio, promoting the transcription and expression of r-globin gene in synthesizing HbF.