Abstract
Radiation therapy is widely used in the treatment of tumor diseases, but it can also cause serious damage to the body, so it is necessary to find effective nutritional supplements. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of whey hydrolysate peptides (WHPs) against 60Coγ radiation damage in mice and explore the mechanism. BALB/c mice were given WHPs by oral gavage administration for 14 days. Then, some mice underwent a 30-day survival test after 8 Gy radiation, and other mice received 3.5 Gy radiation to analyze the changes in body weight, hematology and bone marrow DNA after three and 14 days. In addition, through further analysis of the level of oxidative stress and intestinal barrier function, the possible mechanism of the radioprotective effect of WHPs was explored. The study found WHPs can prolong survival time, restore body weight, and increase the number of peripheral blood white blood cells and bone marrow DNA content in irradiated mice. In addition, WHPs can significantly improve the antioxidant capacity, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines and protect the intestinal barrier. These results indicate that WHPs have a certain radioprotective effect in mice, and the main mechanism is related to reducing oxidative damage.
Highlights
At present, nuclear energy and radiation play a crucial role in the treatment of malignant tumors
whey hydrolysate peptides (WHPs) (Hilmar product 8350) are a mixture of small bioactive peptides hydrolyzed from whey protein purchased from Tianjin Milkyway Import & Export Corp. (Tianjin, China)
The result of this study showed that all mice in the IR control group died within 16 days after 8 Gy radiation exposure, while the average survival time of the mice in the WHPs group was extended by 3–4 days
Summary
Nuclear energy and radiation play a crucial role in the treatment of malignant tumors. In the comprehensive treatment of cancer, 70–80% of patients need radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and this proportion is increasing year by year. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy kill cancer cells, and damage normal cells and tissues of the organism. They cause many side effects, such as decreased immunity, massive reduction of white blood cells, gastrointestinal dysfunction and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in patients. Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is a complex interaction of main symptoms of cancer patients after radiotherapy, including fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fewer white blood cells and decreased immune function. Data show that acute radiation injury can be caused at the radiation dose of 1 Gy, and the radiation injury is aggravated with the increase of the absorbed doses [4]
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