Abstract
BackgroundThe hematopoietic system is especially sensitive to total body irradiation (TBI), and myelosuppression is one of the major effects of TBI. Astaxanthin (ATX) is a powerful natural anti-oxidant with low toxicity. In this study, the effect of ATX on hematopoietic system injury after TBI was investigated.MethodsFlow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of cytochrome C, cell apoptosis, and NRF2-related proteins. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect Nrf2 translocation. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the expression of apoptotic-related proteins. Enzymatic activities assay kits were used to analyze SOD2, CAT, and GPX1 activities.ResultsCompared with the TBI group, ATX can improve radiation-induced skewed differentiation of peripheral blood cells and accelerate hematopoietic self-renewal and regeneration. The radio-protective effect of ATX is probably attributable to the scavenging of ROS and the reduction of cell apoptosis. These changes were associated with increased activation of Nrf2 and downstream anti-oxidative proteins, and regulation of apoptotic-related proteins.ConclusionsThis study suggests that ATX could be used as a potent therapeutic agent to protect the hematopoietic system against TBI-induced bone marrow suppression.
Highlights
The hematopoietic system is especially sensitive to total body irradiation (TBI), and myelosuppression is one of the major effects of TBI
reactive oxygen species (ROS) are required for the physiological function of cells, overproduction of these molecules damages cellular components, such as proteins, lipids, and DNA, through DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), which results in hematopoietic cell injury [7, 8]
ATX rescues the loss of body weight and the changes in organ index caused by TBI in mice Compared to the control group, the body weight of the TBI group had decreased significantly when mice were sacrificed 12 days after 4 Gy irradiation
Summary
The hematopoietic system is especially sensitive to total body irradiation (TBI), and myelosuppression is one of the major effects of TBI. The hematopoietic system is the most vulnerable system to the damaging effects of total body irradiation (TBI), and doses greater than 1 Gy induce bone marrow (BM) cell injury [2]. Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) can generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cytosol of mammalian cells, which results in severe oxidative stress. Nrf is found to promote the survival of irradiated cells, including BM cells, through ROS scavenging [12].
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