Table 4.

South Asian medicinal compounds protect normal cells from radiation effects and sensitize cancer cells to radiation effects. South Asian medicinal compounds at the concentration studied protects the normal human cells and experimental animals against indicated radiation dose and sensitizes radiation effects in the cancer cells through different mechanism.

Name of the Hytochemicals	Concentration Studied	Radiation Dose	Radioprotective/Radiosensitizing Effect	References
(i) Radioprotective phytochemicals
Curcumin	50 µg/mL	1.5 Gy	Curcumin-encapsulated bioglass-chitosan might have promising potential applications for wound healing resulting from gamma radiation.	[127]
Sesamol	10 μg/mL	4 Gy	(i) Renders protection on γ-radiation induced DNA damage, and antioxidants depletion in cultured human lymphocytes.	[128,129]
	100 mg/kg	7.5 Gy	(ii) Acts as a single prophylactic dose protects hematopoietic and GI systems against γ-radiation-induced injury in mice.
Ferulic acid	10 μg/mL	4 Gy	Prevents γ-radiation-induced micronuclei and dicentric aberration in human lymphocytes.	[130,131]
	50 mg/kg	4 Gy	Enhances the survival of mice possibly by decreasing DNA damage as examined by γH2AX foci, micronuclei formation, and comet assay.
Apigenin	10 μg/mL	3 Gy	Significantly reduced (p < 0.01) the frequency of mitomycin C-induced micronuclei.	[132]
Mangiferin	5–25 μg/mL	5 Gy	Protects against gamma radiation-induced DNA damage and acts as an antioxidant or pro-oxidant product	[133]
Naringin	50 and 100 µM	6 Gy	Prevents radiation-induced multiple cellular anomalies.	[134]
Paeoniflorin	200 μg/mL	4 Gy	Offers protection against radiation-induced cell damage through modulation of reactive oxygen species and the mitogen-activated protein kinases in thymocytes.	[135]
	50–200 µg/mL	10 Gy	Protected EA.hy926 cells against radiation-induced injury through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.	[136]
Luteolin	10 μmol/kg b.wt.	6 Gy	Radioprotective effects through antioxidative property in mice.	[137]
Lignans from Myristica fragrans	500 µg/mL	4.26 Gy	Radioprotection through immunomodulation in mammalian splenocytes.	[138]
Hesperidin	50–100 mg/kg b.wt.	5 Gy	Protects against γ-radiation-induced cellular damage and oxidative stress in rats.	[139]
α-tocopherol	360 mg/kg b.wt.	15 Gy	Radioprotective effect of Vitamin E in Parotid Glands in rats.	[140]
Catechines	100 μM	3 Gy	Protects pBR322 DNA under acellular conditions and normal splenocytes under cellular conditions, against γ-radiation-induced damage.	[141]
Orientin	17.5 μM	4 Gy	Promotes stem cell survival, exogenous spleen colony formation (CFU-S).	[142]
Silymarin	50 mg/kg	3 Gy	Protects experimental animals from radiation-induced hepatotoxicity.	[143]
Zingerone	10 μg/mL	2 Gy	Prevents radiation-induced genetic damage and apoptosis in human lymphocytes.	[144]
Rutin	10 mg/kg b.wt.	3 Gy	Mitigates radiation-induced mortality and cytogenetic damage, which attributes to scavenging of radiation-induced free radicals.	[145]
Lycopene	5 mg/kg b.wt.	6 Gy	Protects the small intestine against radiation-induced damage.	[146]
Glycyrrhizic acid	4 mM	1.25 Gy	Offers protection against γ-radiation-induced DNA damage to plasmid pBR322 in vitro, human peripheral blood leukocytes and bone marrow cells in vivo.	[147]
Naringin	7.5 mg/kg b.wt.	1–5 Gy	Protects mouse bone marrow cells against radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations and lipid peroxidation.	[148]
Quercetin	2–50 μM	30 Gy	Protects against radiation- and storage-induced oxidative damage to RBCs.	[149]
Morin	25 μM	10 Gy	Protects against oxidative stress induced by radiation via reduction of ROS and attenuation of the SEK1-JNK-AP-1 pathway.	[150]
Dehydrozingerone	100 mg/kg b.wt.	10 Gy	Exhibits radioprotective activity in whole body gamma irradiated Swiss albino mice through free radical scavenging. The DMF value was found to be 1.09.	[151]
Famotidine	200 µg/mL	4–12 Gy	Suppresses radiation-induced apoptosis with various doses of gamma-irradiation via radical scavenging and intracellular antioxidation mechanism.	[152]
Pilocarpine	4 mg/kg b.wt.	15 Gy	Amelioration of long term radiation-induced hyposalivation using prophylactic pilocarpine treatment	[153]
Podophyllotoxin	10 nM	10 Gy	Derivatives are used in combination with IR therapy and suggest that the EGFR–p38/ERK–STAT3/CREB-1–EMT pathway might be a useful target for suppressing metastasis.	[154]
(ii) Radiosensitizing phytochemicals
Hypericin	5 µM	8 Gy	Enhancement of radiosensitivity in human malignant glioma cells.	[155]
Epigallocatechin-galate	25 mg/kg b.wt.	22 Gy	Inhibits irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis.	[156]
Resveratrol	1 mg/mL	70 kGy	Reduces toxicity and plays a potent role in the treatment of inflammatory disease.	[157]
Curcumin	100 μM	10 Gy	Acts as radiosensitizer through prooxidant mechanisms in cancer cells.	[158]
Gossypol	2 μM	6 Gy	Radiosensitization of tumour cell lines by depressig double-strand break repair mechanism.	[159]
Betulinic acid	20 μM	2 Gy	Induces cytotoxicity and radiosensitivity in glioma cells under hypoxic conditions.	[160]
Plumbagin	750 nM	2 Gy	Radiosensitizing effects in cervical cancer cells through modulation of apoptotic pathway.	[161]
Withaferin A	4 μM	10 Gy	Enhances radiation-induced apoptosis in Caki cells through induction of reactive oxygen species, Bcl-2 downregulation and Akt inhibition.	[162]
Ellagic acid	100 μmol/L	6 Gy	Enhances radiation-induced oxidative stress and subsequent cytotoxicity in tumor cells.	[163]
Caffeic acid	10μmol/kgb.wt.	7 Gy	Exhibits curable effects on gamma irradiation-induced cardiac-oxidative impairment in rats.	[164]
Genistein	20 μM	5 Gy	Acts as a prooxidant in HL-60 cells, increases ionizing radiation-induced cell cycle arrest and sensitivity to apoptotic cell death in human promyeloid leukemia HL-60 cells.	[165]
Myricetin	25 µM	2 Gy	Enhances radiosensitivity of lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells.	[114]
Biochanin A	1–100 µM	2 Gy	Enhances radiotoxicity in colon tumor cells.	[166]
Capsaicin	1–10 µM	1–8 Gy	Increases radiation effects in prostate cancer.	[167]
Piperine	40 μM	15 Gy	Enhances radiosensitivity of tumor cells through oxidative mechanism.	[168]
Lupeol	30 μmol/L	4 Gy	Enhances radiosensitivity of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 in vitro and in vivo.	[169]
Oleanolic acid	35 µg/mL	250 Gy/min	Radiosensitizes tumor cells through the inhibition of GSH synthesis in vitro.	[170]