Mamdooh Ghoneum, Nariman K. Badr El-Din, Salma M. Abdel Fattah and Lucilene Tolentino
Department of Otolaryngology, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, California 90059, USA
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Mansoura, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
Drug and Radiation Research, National Center for Radiation and Technology, Cairo, Egypt
Department of Pathology, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, California 90059, USA
Corresponding author. Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Department of Otolaryngology, 1621 East 120th Street, Los Angeles, California 90059, USA. Tel: +1-323-563-5953; Fax: +1-310-474-6724; Email: mghoneum@ucla.edu
The aim of the current study is to examine the protective effect of MGN-3 on overall maintenance of hematopoietic tissue after γ-irradiation. MGN-3 is an arabinoxylan from rice bran that has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant and immune modulator. Swiss albino mice were treated with MGN-3 prior to irradiation and continued to receive MGN-3 for 1 or 4 weeks. Results were compared with mice that received radiation (5 Gy γ rays) only, MGN-3 (40 mg/kg) only and control mice (receiving neither radiation nor MGN-3). At 1 and 4 weeks post-irradiation, different hematological, histopathological and biochemical parameters were examined. Mice exposed to irradiation alone showed significant depression in their complete blood count (CBC) except for neutrophilia. Additionally, histopathological studies showed hypocellularity of their bone marrow, as well as a remarkable decrease in splenic weight/relative size and in number of megakaryocytes. In contrast, pre-treatment with MGN-3 resulted in protection against irradiation-induced damage to the CBC parameters associated with complete bone marrow cellularity, as well as protection of the aforementioned splenic changes. Furthermore, MGN-3 exerted antioxidative activity in whole-body irradiated mice, and provided protection from irradiation-induced loss of body and organ weight. In conclusion, MGN-3 has the potential to protect progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which suggests the possible use of MGN-3/Biobran as an adjuvant treatment to counteract the severe adverse side effects associated with Radiation therapy.
Keywords: MGN-3; Biobran; radiation; hematopoeitic cells