Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Radiation Biology Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Atomic Energy Authority (AEA), P.O. Box29, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
2
Health Radiation Research Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Atomic Energy Authority (AEA), P.O. Box29, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
Abstract
RADIATION therapy is associated with a risk of long-term adverse effects. Royal jelly (RJ), a natural product extracted from honey bees is rich in compounds with many biological activities. This study aims at evaluating the role of RJ against gamma-radiation induced liver injury. Twenty-four male albino rats were divided into four groups. Control, IRR: whole-body exposed to gamma radiation (3 Gy every 3 days up to 9 Gy), RJ: received RJ by gavages (250 mg/kg BW) during 15 days, RJ+IRR: received RJ before the 1st radiation fraction and the treatment continued for 14 days. Animals were sacrificed one day post the last RJ dose. The results revealed that RJ significantly reduced the radiation-induced increases in liver malondialdehyde MDA, protein carbonyl CO, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), markers of lipid, protein and DNA oxidation, accompanied by significant elevations of glutathione content (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. A significant reduction in the elevation of liver DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activity was also recorded. In the serum, the level of the inflammatory markers, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and the level of the fibrotic markers collagen IV and laminin were significantly lower than their corresponding values in irradiated rats. The amelioration in the extent of liver injury obtained by RJ treatment was substantiated by significant improvement of liver functions verified by lowering the activity levels of liver function enzymes. It could be concluded that RJ by suppressing oxidative stress and decreasing inflammatory, apoptotic and fibrotic markers may alleviate the progression of radiation-induced liver injury.
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