Amelioration of Radiation-Induced DNA Damage and Immunosuppression by Tanacetum parthenium leaf extract and synthetic parthenolide in Swiss Albino Mice

Radiotherapy potentially offers protection from recurrence of tumor that also causes normal tissue damage and creates major concern. Another important factor is long-term immune suppression in patients treated with radiotherapy. Therefore, crucial need for the survival of surrounding normal cells of tumor by radiation -protecting agents is the prime focus of this study. Aqueous extract (AE) and ethanolic extract (EE), Tanacetum parthenium extracts100 mg/kg each and parthenolide (PAR) 4mg/kg body weight were orally administered prior to sub-lethal radiation dose exposure. Mice were used for the evaluation of radiation-mediated chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells and DNA break by comet assay in the blood lymphocytes of mice. The pro-inflammatory levels were determined by cytokine estimations namely interleukin (-)2, interferon(-) gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha performed in the liver homogenate using ELISA kits. Thus the results demonstrated ameliorating, radio-mitigating and immune-stimulatory efficacy of AE, EE and PAR against radiation -induced DNA damage and immunosuppression by regulating cytokine.