辐射防护剂和治疗剂的研究进展

随着核能与核技术的迅速发展及广泛应用,人们接触电离辐射的机会日益增多。辐射防护剂和治疗剂的应用倍受关注,但目前使用的许多辐射防护剂和治疗剂都不太理想。研究人员一直致力于研究高效、低毒的天然辐射防护剂。本文主要关注了化学类、植物和天然中草药的辐射防护剂以及细胞因子和干细胞辐射治疗剂的应用前景。氨磷汀(WR-2721)及相关化合物最具市场前景,但是严重的不良反应限制其临床应用。植物提取物和天然中草药具有毒性小、价格相对低廉、可以口服给药,并且可以通过多种机制发挥作用的优势,因此成为国内外研究关注的热点。细胞因子治疗能够预防或减少急性辐射综合症(ARS)。间充质干细胞(MSC)具有分泌造血生长因子、重建造血微环境、低免疫原性、易于外源基因转染和表达等优点,将其应用于急性辐射损伤的临床治疗具有十分广阔的前景。因此,植物和中草药作为辐射防护剂和MSC作为放射治疗剂的协同应用可能是未来研究的趋势。     

天然产物抗辐射功能的评价方法

随着经济的发展和物质生活的不断改善,食品的安全、环保、保健功能等越来越被人们所重视。寻找并研究具有保健功能的天然产物已经成为目前食品研究领域一项热门项目。本文回顾了近年来针对具有辐射防护功能的天然产物的研究中所采用的各种论证指标,发现目前主要从生存实验、造血系统、遗传物质、氧化应激水平以及免疫系统等多方面的指标来衡量天然产物的抗辐射功能。通过对各指标进行总结归纳,提出未来天然产物抗辐射研究方法的可能趋势,为今后具有辐射防护功能的保健食品、功能性食品添加剂的研发提供参考。     

The Effects of Melatonin Administration on Intestinal Injury Caused by Abdominal Irradiation from Mice

Intestinal injury caused by ionizing radiation (IR) is a main clinical issue for patients with cancer receiving abdominal or pelvic radiotherapy. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a neurohormone that the pineal gland in the brain normally secretes. The study aimed to disclose the potential function of melatonin in intestinal injury induced by IR and its mechanism. Pretreatment with melatonin enhanced the 30-day survival rate of the irradiated mice and promoted the recovery of the intestinal epithelium and hematopoietic function following abdominal irradiation (ABI). Melatonin altered the gene profile of the small intestines from mice following ABI. The enriched biological process terms for melatonin treatment prior to radiation were mainly involved in the immune process. LPS/IL-1-mediated inhibition of RXR Function, TWEAK signaling, and Toll-like receptor signaling were the most activated canonical pathways targeted by melatonin. An upstream analysis network showed that Tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24) was the most significantly inhibited and S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9) activated. TRIM24 activated atherogenesis and cell viability in breast cancer cell lines and S100A9 inhibited the metabolism of amino acids. Melatonin has radioprotective effects on ABI-caused intestinal injury. The mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of melatonin were involved in activation of the immunity. It is necessary to conduct further experiments to explore the underlying mechanisms.