Radioprotective Effects of Gallic Acid in Mice

• Published in: BioMed research international 2013-01, Vol.2013 (2013), p.1-13
• Main Authors: Nair, Gopakumar Gopinathan, Nair, Cherupally Krishnan Krishnan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antioxidants; Body Weight - drug effects; Body Weight - radiation effects; Chromosome Aberrations; Colony-Forming Units Assay; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded - drug effects; DNA Repair - drug effects; DNA Repair - radiation effects; Gallic Acid - chemistry; Gallic Acid - pharmacology; Gamma Rays; Glutathione - metabolism; Leukocytes - drug effects; Leukocytes - metabolism; Leukocytes - radiation effects; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Lipid Peroxidation - radiation effects; Male; Mice; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective; Organ Specificity - drug effects; Organ Specificity - radiation effects; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxidative Stress - radiation effects; Radiation-Protective Agents - chemistry; Radiation-Protective Agents - pharmacology; Reticulocytes - drug effects; Reticulocytes - metabolism; Reticulocytes - radiation effects; Spleen - drug effects; Spleen - metabolism; Spleen - radiation effects; Whole-Body Irradiation
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/953079

Radioprotecting ability of the natural polyphenol, gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, GA), was investigated in Swiss albino mice. Oral administration of GA (100 mg/kg body weight), one hour prior to whole body gamma radiation exposure (2–8 Gy; 6 animals/group), reduced the radiation-induced cellular DNA damage in mouse peripheral blood leukocytes, bone marrow cells, and spleenocytes as revealed by comet assay. The GA administration also prevented the radiation-induced decrease in the levels of the antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidise (GPx), and nonprotein thiol glutathione (GSH) and inhibited the peroxidation of membrane lipids in these animals. Exposure of mice to whole body gamma radiation also caused the formation of micronuclei in blood reticulocytes and chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells, and the administration of GA resulted in the inhibition of micronucleus formation and chromosomal aberrations. In irradiated animals, administration of GA elicited an enhancement in the rate of DNA repair process and a significant increase in endogenous spleen colony formation. The administration of GA also prevented the radiation-induced weight loss and mortality in animals (10 animals/group) exposed to lethal dose (10 Gy) of gamma radiation. (For every experiment unirradiated animals without GA administration were taken as normal control; specific dose (Gy) irradiated animals without GA administration serve as radiation control; and unirradiated GA treated animals were taken as drug alone control).