## 4 Discussion  
The importance of studying the hazardous effects of the \({}^{68}\)Ga isotope is concomitant with its recently expanded medical usage, resulting from its ready availability, easy generation, specific uptake by tumor cells, and amenability to one-step chelation, which are the main factors that have made it more pharmaceutically applicable, even in small medical institutions, compared to some other isotopes. Over the last ten years, the use of the \({}^{68}\)Ga isotope in positron emission tomography (PET) scanning has rapidly increased to the extent that it has led to problems in supply [1]. On the one hand, the production and storage of the \({}^{68}\)Ga isotope is simple and easy because of its long half-life parent nuclide (270.93 days) [20]; on the other hand, during this propagated usage, attention should be drawn to the undesired effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. Oxidative stress is a well-established effect of ionizing radiation that results either from the direct interaction of radiation with target macromolecules or from the radiolysis of water products, which affects target molecules and can be propagated to neighboring cells and tissues. Oxidative stress can be biologically produced through exposure to several inducers and not only ionizing radiation. A recent study revealed that oxidative stress resulted from exposure to ionizing radiation emitted from the \({}^{68}\)Ga isotope used in nuclear medicine and was a cause of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) [21]. Generally, oxidative stress mainly depends on the body's health, especially the body's ability to resist it and detoxify the produced ROS. Figure 3: (**A**) Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity after Gallium-68 injection with and without protective treatment with _Angelica archaea_ and _Ginkgo biloba_; (**B**) glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity after Gallium-68 injection with and without protective treatment with _Angelica archaea_ and _Ginkgo biloba_. * Significant \(p<0.05\) and ** highly significant \(p<0.01\). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline  & **SOD (U/mL)** & **GPX (U/mL)** \\ \hline Control & 144.24 \(\pm\) 12.15 & 4134.14 \(\pm\) 354.34 \\ G1 & 467.37 \(\pm\) 21.04 ** & 9325.45 \(\pm\) 411.45 ** \\ G2 & 288.12 \(\pm\) 16.55 * & 6346.45 \(\pm\) 522.45 * \\ G3 & 277.12 \(\pm\) 16.15 * & 7123.76 \(\pm\) 416.24 * \\ G4 & 156.67 \(\pm\) 11.14 ** & 5229.12 \(\pm\) 356.12 ** \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* Significant \(p<0.05\) and ** highly significant \(p<0.01\).  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity of the rabbits that received the Gallium-68 injection with and without protective _Angelica archaea_ and _Ginkgo biloba_, as well as with a combined dose as compared with the control group (Mean \(\pm\) SE). Hemoglobin, with its direct relation and interaction with oxygen molecules during gas transportation within the body, is considered to be one of the molecules that is most sensitive to oxidative stress. Blood hemoglobin, with its quaternary structure, has two pairs of nonidentical proteins, alpha with 141 amino acids and beta with 146 amino acids, which are hemoglobin transporters that act together to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from cells [21]. The oxygen affinity of hemoglobin is the ability of its molecules to capture oxygen molecules which are higher in arterial circulation. The oxygen affinity property of hemoglobin mainly depends on the status of the iron atom inside the porphyrin ring. This very sensitive condition is the main principle that reflects alterations in hemoglobin function when subjected to any ionization [22]. Oxidative stress due to the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the most common processes when blood is exposed to radioactive isotopes [5; 23]. In elevated oxidative stress situations, the essential redox system may need external supplementation to restore the direct and indirect imbalance of ROS.