Protective Effect of Bojungikki-Tang against Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury in Mice: Experimental Verification and Compound-Target Prediction.
Sohi KangA Y LeeHyun H NamSoong-In LeeHyun-Yong KimJeong M LeeChangjong MoonIn S ShinSung-Wook ChaeJi H LeeYun-Soo SeoJoong-Sun KimPublished in: Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM (2023)
Bojungikki-tang (BJIT) is a traditional herbal medicine used in Korea, Japan, and China to treat gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether BJIT has protective effects against radiation-induced intestinal injury and to predict the underlying therapeutic mechanisms and related pathways via network pharmacological analyses. BJIT was injected intraperitoneally (50 mg/kg body weight) to C 3 H/HeN mice at 36 and 12 h before exposure to partial abdominal irradiation (5 Gy and 13 Gy) to evaluate the apoptotic changes and the histological changes and variations in inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels in the jejunum, respectively. Through in silico network analysis, we predicted the mechanisms underlying BJIT-mediated regulation of radiation-induced intestinal injury. BJIT reduced the level of apoptosis in the jejunal crypts 12 h post 5-Gy irradiation. Histological assessment revealed intestinal morphological changes in irradiated mice 3.5 days post 13-Gy irradiation. Furthermore, BJIT decreased inflammatory cytokine levels following radiation exposure. Apoptosis, TNF, p53, VEGF, toll-like receptor, PPAR, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, as well as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), were found to be linked to the radioprotective effects of BJIT against intestinal injury. According to our results, BJIT exerted its potential protective effects by attenuating histopathological changes in jejunal crypts and suppressing inflammatory mediator levels. Therefore, BJIT is a potential therapeutic agent that can treat radiation-induced intestinal injury and its associated symptoms.
Keyphrases
- radiation induced
- signaling pathway
- radiation therapy
- pi k akt
- oxidative stress
- toll like receptor
- cell cycle arrest
- body weight
- network analysis
- cell death
- high fat diet induced
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- rheumatoid arthritis
- immune response
- metabolic syndrome
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- vascular endothelial growth factor
- induced apoptosis
- depressive symptoms
- ulcerative colitis
- nuclear factor
- binding protein
- skeletal muscle
- wild type
- drug induced
- clinical evaluation