Objective: To investigate the protective effects of MCI extract from Turkish galls against apoptosis induced by X-ray radiation in the AHH-1.
Methods: The cells were divided into: control group; X-ray radiation group; MCI group, in which the confluent cells were preincubated with 5 μg/ml MCI for 2 h followed by radiation. For the radiation, cells preincubated with MCI were exposed to X-ray beams with a dose of 8 Gy in total. Cell viability, apoptosis and intracellular alteration of redox were monitored by MTT and flow cytometry.
Results: Compared with radiation group, the number of cells arrested at the G0/G1 phase was significantly reduced in MCI group (P < 0.05). X-ray radiation induces remarkable apoptosis in AHH-1, which was reversed by MCI. Compared with the radiation group, the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was abrogated by pre-incubation with MCI (P < 0.05). In addition, the up-regulation of procaspase-3 induced by radiation was reversed by MCI. Radiation could induce up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2; however, it is reversed completely after administration of MCI. Further, the enhanced expression of ERK and JNK induced by radiation was reversed by MCI.
Conclusions: MCI extract from Turkish galls played protective effects on the X-ray induced damage through enhancing the scavenging activity of ROS, decreasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the down-regulating the activity of procaspase-3, as well as modulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways.
Keywords: MAPK signal pathway; Turkish galls; apoptosis; radiation.