Skip to main content
PMC home page
Annals of Surgery logoLink to Annals of Surgery
. 1995 Oct;222(4):504–510. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199522240-00008

Intestinal radioprotection by vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol).

I Felemovicius 1, M E Bonsack 1, M L Baptista 1, J P Delaney 1
PMCID: PMC1234882  PMID: 7574930

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The major objective of this study was to test vitamin E as a potential radioprotectant for the small bowel of the rat. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Vitamin E has previously been shown to provide radioprotection in animal models: increased survival after whole-body irradiation, diminished absorptive malfunction, and modest diminution in postirradiation hemolysis. The lumenal route for intestinal radioprotection has not been tested. METHODS: Rat mid-small bowel was surgically exteriorized and segmented by ties into compartments, each of which was filled with a test solution 30 minutes before 1100 cGy of x-irradiation was administered. After the rats were killed 5 days later, the various segments were evaluated for surviving crypts, mucosal height, and goblet cell preservation. Lumenal agents included alpha-tocopherol phosphate and alpha-tocopherol acetate. In a separate study, dietary supplements of alpha-tocopherol were given for 10 days before irradiation, and the same irradiation sequence was carried out. RESULTS: Small bowel crypt cell numbers, mucosal height, and goblet cell numbers were significantly protected from radiation effects by dietary alpha tocopherol pretreatment and by lumenal application of the vitamin. CONCLUSIONS: These studies indicate that vitamin E can serve as a partial protectant against acute irradiation enteritis, whether given as chronic oral systemic pretreatment or as a brief topical application.

Full text

PDF
505

Images in this article

507Figure 2.
on p.507

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bieri J. G. Kinetics of tissue -tocopherol depletion and repletion. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1972 Dec 18;203:181–191. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1972.tb27874.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burton G. W., Cheeseman K. H., Doba T., Ingold K. U., Slater T. F. Vitamin E as an antioxidant in vitro and in vivo. Ciba Found Symp. 1983;101:4–18. doi: 10.1002/9780470720820.ch2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cutler R. G. Antioxidants and aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Jan;53(1 Suppl):373S–379S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/53.1.373S. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Delaney J. P., Bonsack M. E., Felemovicius I. Lumenal route for intestinal radioprotection. Am J Surg. 1993 Nov;166(5):492–501. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9610(05)81143-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Delaney J. P., Bonsack M. E., Felemovicius I. Misoprostol in the intestinal lumen protects against radiation injury of the mucosa of the small bowel. Radiat Res. 1994 Mar;137(3):405–409. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Delaney J. P., Bonsack M. E., Felemovicius I. Radioprotection of the rat small intestine with topical WR-2721. Cancer. 1994 Oct 15;74(8):2379–2384. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19941015)74:8<2379::aid-cncr2820740825>3.0.co;2-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Delaney J. P., Bonsack M. Acute radiation enteritis in rats: bile salts and trypsin. Surgery. 1992 Sep;112(3):587–592. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Delaney J. P., Bonsack M., Hall P. Intestinal radioprotection by two new agents applied topically. Ann Surg. 1992 Oct;216(4):417–422. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199210000-00004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Delaney J. P., Kimm G. E., Bonsack M. E. The influence of lumenal pH on the severity of acute radiation enteritis. Int J Radiat Biol. 1992 Mar;61(3):381–386. doi: 10.1080/09553009214551071. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Empey L. R., Papp J. D., Jewell L. D., Fedorak R. N. Mucosal protective effects of vitamin E and misoprostol during acute radiation-induced enteritis in rats. Dig Dis Sci. 1992 Feb;37(2):205–214. doi: 10.1007/BF01308173. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Giardini O., Taccone-Gallucci M., Lubrano R., Ricciardi-Tenore G., Bandino D., Silvi I., Paradisi C., Mannarino O., Citti G., Elli M. Effects of alpha-tocopherol administration on red blood cell membrane lipid peroxidation in hemodialysis patients. Clin Nephrol. 1984 Mar;21(3):174–177. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jacobson H. N. Dietary standards and future developments. Free Radic Biol Med. 1987;3(3):209–213. doi: 10.1016/0891-5849(87)90008-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jandak J., Steiner M., Richardson P. D. Alpha-tocopherol, an effective inhibitor of platelet adhesion. Blood. 1989 Jan;73(1):141–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kligerman M. M., Glover D. J., Turrisi A. T., Norfleet A. L., Yuhas J. M., Coia L. R., Simone C., Glick J. H., Goodman R. L. Toxicity of WR-2721 administered in single and multiple doses. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1984 Sep;10(9):1773–1776. doi: 10.1016/0360-3016(84)90547-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Minkova M., Drenska D., Pantev T., Ovcharov R. Antiradiation properties of alpha tocopherol, anthocyans, and pyracetam administered combined as a pretreatment course. Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg. 1990;16(4):31–36. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Oski F. A. Vitamin E--a radical defense. N Engl J Med. 1980 Aug 21;303(8):454–455. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198008213030809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shaheen A. A., Hassan S. M. Radioprotection of whole-body gamma-irradiation-induced alteration in some haematological parameters by cysteine, vitamin E and their combination in rats. Strahlenther Onkol. 1991 Aug;167(8):498–501. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Srinivasan V., Weiss J. F. Radioprotection by vitamin E: injectable vitamin E administered alone or with WR-3689 enhances survival of irradiated mice. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1992;23(4):841–845. doi: 10.1016/0360-3016(92)90657-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Withers H. R., Elkind M. M. Microcolony survival assay for cells of mouse intestinal mucosa exposed to radiation. Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med. 1970;17(3):261–267. doi: 10.1080/09553007014550291. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of Surgery are provided here courtesy of Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins

RESOURCES