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

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 RIIIin 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 mu M), 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-alpha(TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta(IL-1 beta), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) 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 mu M, as indicated by the reduction of cellular apoptosis, decreased levels of MDA, MPO, and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IFN-gamma), 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.