The impact of α-tocopherol on radiation-induced liver injury

Kotzampassi, K; Paramythiotis, D; Tsiakitzis, K; Kourounakis, A.P; Tzitzikas, J; Metaxas, G; Kourounakis, P.N; Harlaftis, N; Eleftheriadis, E

« Previous Next »Nutrition Research
Volume 23, Issue 1 , Pages 103-109, January 2003

The impact of α-tocopherol on radiation-induced liver injury

K Kotzampassi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +30-310-933496; fax: +30-310-993496.
D Paramythiotis
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
K Tsiakitzis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutics, University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
A.P Kourounakis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutics, University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
J Tzitzikas
- Department of Radiation Oncology, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
G Metaxas
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
P.N Kourounakis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutics, University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
N Harlaftis
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
E Eleftheriadis
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

Received 26 April 2002; received in revised form 29 August 2002; accepted 2 September 2002.

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the short-term impact of the exogenous antioxidant α-tocopherol [Vitamin E] in preventing the radiation-induced liver injury. Fifty-six Wistar rats received intraperitoneally α-tocopherol [25 mg/kg] or placebo at 12 hs and 1 h before local exposure of the abdomen to a single 11 Gy dose of ionizing radiation from a ⁶⁰Co source, or sham-radiation. Two and 6 hs later, the degree of lipid peroxidation [hepatic tissue MDA] as well as the liver GSH levels, as a measure of the endogenous antioxidant defense, were recorded. It was found that α-tocopherol as pretreatment led to a reduction of MDA after liver irradiation in relation to placebo-treated rats. Similarly, it was found to contribute to a minor reduction of liver GSH levels and the early achievement of nearly normal values in relation to placebo-treated rats. We conclude that the prophylactic administration of α-tocopherol exerts an intense antioxidant action by reducing liver lipid peroxidation and maintaining the endogenous liver antioxidant defense against radiation-induced injury.

Keywords: α-tocopherol, Vitamin E, Radiation injury, Liver, Antioxidants