A diarylpentanoid curcumin analog exhibits improved radioprotective potential in the intestinal mucosa.
PURPOSE
To best enhance the effects of radiotherapy, it is important to minimize adverse events, including free radical-induced intestinal cell damage. Given the threat of nuclear power plant accidents or nuclear terrorism, there is an urgent need for radioprotectants to counteract the radiation-induced toxicity and/or injuries. Curcumin exhibits protective effects against gamma irradiation; however, its in vivo efficacy is decreased due to the low bioavailability. We examined the radioprotective effect of a newly synthesized curcumin analog, GO-Y031, on 11-Gy X-ray-induced intestinal mucosal damage in mice.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The radioprotection experiments were conducted by using C57BL/6J or Jcl:ICR mice. Molecules related to radiation damage, including p53, Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3, and reactive carbonyl species (RCS), were investigated immunohistochemically.


RESULTS
GO-Y031 protected against crypt hypoplasia relative to a mock treatment at 0.5% (weight/weight); the number of crypts were 11.00 ± 2.00/circumference (mm) in treated versus 6.86 ± 0.99/mm in mock-treated C57BL/6 mice (p = 0.0079). GO-Y031 also reduced the levels of RCS, p53, and cleaved caspase-3 accumulation in the irradiated intestinal cells.


CONCLUSIONS
GO-Y031 suppresses the accumulation of RCS and apoptosis-related molecules in irradiated cells. This compound may be a good primary radioprotective compound.
['Fukuda|Koji|K|', 'Uehara|Yoshihiko|Y|', 'Nakata|Eiko|E|', 'Inoue|Masahiro|M|', 'Shimazu|Kazuhiro|K|', 'Yoshida|Taichi|T|', 'Kanda|Hiroaki|H|', 'Nanjo|Hiroshi|H|', 'Hosoi|Yoshio|Y|', 'Yamakoshi|Hiroyuki|H|', 'Iwabuchi|Yoshiharu|Y|', 'Shibata|Hiroyuki|H|']
D000818:Animals D001555:Benzene Derivatives D003474:Curcumin D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation D007659:Ketones D008297:Male D051379:Mice D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR D009061:Mouth Mucosa D011829:Radiation Dosage D011832:Radiation Injuries D011836:Radiation Tolerance D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents D013280:Stomatitis
Curcumin radioprotection intestinal damage