Lycopene attenuates ionizing radiation-induced mice intestinal injury
10.3760/cma.j.cn113030-20250126-00039
- VernacularTitle:番茄红素改善电离辐射引起的小鼠肠道损伤
- Author:
Xin CHEN
1
;
Rongli XU
1
;
Xin XU
1
;
Xinyan LI
1
;
Bao WAN
1
;
Min DENG
1
Author Information
1. 国家癌症中心/国家肿瘤临床医学研究中心/中国医学科学院北京协和医学院肿瘤医院放疗科/分子肿瘤学全国重点实验室，北京 100021
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Lycopene;
Radiation-induced intestinal injury;
Ionizing radiation;
Radiation protection
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology
2025;34(5):482-489
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the mechanism by which lycopene prevents and alleviates ionizing radiation-induced intestinal injury.Methods:Forty specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (gavage with an equal volume of corn oil), radiation group (gavage with an equal volume of corn oil and exposed to a single dose of 12 Gy X-ray irradiation on day 3), lycopene group (gavage with lycopene), and lycopene + radiation group (gavage with lycopene and irradiated with 12 Gy X-ray on day 3). All gavage treatments continued for 7 days after irradiation. On day 7 post-irradiation, intestinal tissues were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE), Masson's trichrome, and Sirius red staining were used to assess intestinal injury and fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Immunofluorescence staining was performed to assess the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in intestinal tissues. Serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) were measured to evaluate oxidative stress. mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and CD68 in intestinal tissue was quantified using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Western blot was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. One-way ANOVA was used to compare differences among groups.Results:Compared with the radiation group, the lycopene + radiation group showed significantly reduced radiation-induced intestinal injury index, fibrosis, and expression of α-SMA, TGF-β, and CTGF (all P<0.05). Oxidative stress assays showed that serum MDA levels were decreased, while T-SOD, T-AOC, and GSH-PX activities were significantly increased in the lycopene + radiation group (all P<0.05). The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 was significantly downregulated (all P<0.05), while pro-apoptotic protein expression was reduced and anti-apoptotic protein expression was upregulated (all P < 0.05) in the lycopene + radiation group. Conclusions:Lycopene significantly alleviates ionizing radiation-induced intestinal injury through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects, making it a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced intestinal injury.
