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

Abstract EN

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.