Protective Effects of Crocetin against Radiation-Induced Injury in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Chen Zhang,Hao Chen,Weihong Sha,Zewei Zhuo,Zhongwen Zheng,Jun Liang,Weijie Zhou,Jinghua Wang,Kequan Chen,Yujun Luo

doi:10.1155/2020/2906053

Abstract

Background and Aims Treatment options for radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) are limited. Crocetin has been demonstrated to exert antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects on various diseases. Here, we investigate the effects of crocetin on RIII in vitro. Materials and Method. IEC-6 cells exposed to 10 Gy of radiation were treated with different doses of crocetin (0, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μM), and cell viability was assessed by CCK-8. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in culture supernatants were measured using colorimetric and ELISA kits, respectively. Cellular apoptosis was evaluated by Annexin V/PI double staining. Results Crocetin dose-dependently improved the survival of irradiated IEC-6 cells with the optimal dose of 10 μM, as indicated by the reduction of cellular apoptosis, decreased levels of MDA, MPO, and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ), and increased activities of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx). Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that crocetin alleviated radiation-induced injury in intestinal epithelial cells, offering a promising agent for radioprotection.

Highlights

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a common complication of radiation therapy in patients with abdominal or pelvic malignancies, which seriously affects the quality of life and even leads to substantial mortality [1, 2]
To evaluate the therapeutic mechanisms of crocetin in radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII), we established in vitro experimental systems (Figure 1)
The cell viability of IEC-6 cells was significantly decreased after radiation (Figure 2(b)), whereas treatment with crocetin at concentrations of 0.1 μM, 1 μM, and 10 μM improved the survival of irradiated IEC-6 cells in a dose-dependent manner with the maximal effect achieved at 10 μM (Figures 2(a) and 2(b))

Summary

Introduction

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is a common complication of radiation therapy in patients with abdominal or pelvic malignancies, which seriously affects the quality of life and even leads to substantial mortality [1, 2]. Exposure of the small intestine to radiation may produce a large amount of free radicals and epithelial cell apoptosis, which cause impaired barrier function, followed by inflammatory response and even septicemia [3, 4]. RIII seriously affects the efficacy of abdominopelvic radiotherapy, there are no therapeutic agents available to attenuate the intestinal toxicity of radiation [5]. Treatment options for radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) are limited. Crocetin has been demonstrated to exert antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects on various diseases. Crocetin dosedependently improved the survival of irradiated IEC-6 cells with the optimal dose of 10 μM, as indicated by the reduction of cellular apoptosis, decreased levels of MDA, MPO, and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ), and increased activities of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx). Our findings demonstrated that crocetin alleviated radiation-induced injury in intestinal epithelial cells, offering a promising agent for radioprotection

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Conclusion