Purpose: To investigate changes induced in mouse intestines after irradiation and to explore the potential radioprotective effects of flagellin A N/C (FlaAN/C).
Methods and materials: A mouse model of radiation-induced enteropathy was used in this study. A 10-Gy abdominal irradiation was performed on FlaAN/C- and vehicle-injected mice to explore the role of FlaAN/C in intestinal radiation injury and to study the molecular mechanism in this process. In the intestinal tissue, pathologic changes were investigated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, TUNEL staining, and immunohistochemistry; Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to determine the changes in protein and messenger RNA levels, respectively; and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine protein concentration in serum. The involvement of the reactive oxygen species pathway was investigated by determining superoxide dismutase, glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, GSH reductase, and GSH disulfide (GSSG) plus GSH activities.
Results: Flagellin A N/C inhibited radiation-induced reactive oxygen species production, decreased NLRP3 activity, and reduced the occurrence of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. The results revealed that oxidative stress, bioenergetic impairment, and subsequent NLRP3 inflammasome activation were involved in radiation-induced intestinal injury. Flagellin A N/C exerted a protective effect by blunting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling, thereby reducing the inflammatory response and occurrence of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in the intestine. Therefore, treatment of mice with FlaAN/C reduced radiation-induced intestinal injury.
Conclusions: Reactive oxygen species-induced NLRP3 inflammasomes mediated radiation-induced pyroptosis of the intestinal cells, and FlaAN/C suppressed pyroptosis to protect the intestinal tissue. These results provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced cytotoxicity, and FlaAN/C might be a potential preventive therapy for radiation-induced intestinal injury in patients with cancer.
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