title: Emodin protects mice against radiation-induced mortality and intestinal injury via inhibition of apoptosis and modulation of p53.
abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the protective effect of emodin, a plant-derived anthraquinone, against gamma radiation-induced mortality and intestinal injury in mice, and to investigate the radioprotective molecular mechanism. C57BL/6 male mice were pre-treated with emodin for 7days via oral gavage before gamma radiation. We found that pretreatment with emodin prolonged mice survival time after 9Gy total body irradiation (TBI). Mice were sacrificed at 1 week after 7Gy TBI, we found that emodin attenuated intestinal morphological changes and increased villus height, crypt numbers, and reduced villus and crypt apoptosis as well as inhibited the expression of p53. MTT assay, flow cytometry, Hoechst 33258 staining, real-time PCR, and Western blotting indicated that emodin pretreatment can effectively increase human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) viability and attenuate cell apoptosis; it also inhibited the expression of p53, Bax, and Caspase3 in HUVECs after irradiation. In summary, these results suggest the potential of emodin as an effective radioprotectant against radiation-induced intestinal injury.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacology, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China; Department of Pharmacology, Punan Hospital, Shanghai 200125, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacology, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Qiuzhen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yulan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacology, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: zhangyuefan@126.com.
authors.forename: Yuefan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; College of Pharmacology, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230012, China; Department of Pharmacology, Punan Hospital, Shanghai 200125, China. Electronic address: ltj204@163.com.
authors.forename: Tiejun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D004642:Emodin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D005720:Gamma Rays; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
chemical_list: D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D004642:Emodin
keywords: Apoptosis; Emodin; Gamma radiation; Intestinal injury; p53