Mechanism of blueberry anthocyanins in ameliorating radiation-induced intestinal injury through gut microbiota modulation

BackgroundRadiation-induced intestinal injury denotes structural and functional impairment of the intestines resulting directly or indirectly from ionizing radiation, such as that employed in radiation therapy for malignant tumors in the abdominal or pelvic regions, within the treatment area. It is a prevalent and severe consequence of radiation therapy for abdominal and pelvic tumors, greatly affecting treatment outcomes and patients’ quality of life.

Western medicine primarily employs symptomatic management, including medical drug therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, nutritional support therapy, endoscopic and surgical interventions, as well as stem cell transplantation. However, current therapeutic agents for RIII fall far short of achieving ideal outcomes.

Previous studies indicate that blueberry anthocyanins (BA) possess not only anticancer properties but also potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-radiation activities.MethodsSeventy male C57BL/6J mice (6–8 weeks old) were categorized into five groups: a normal control group (Con), an irradiation-only group (IR), groups administered low-dose BA prior to and following irradiation (IR+BA-L, 100 mg/kg bw), a high-dose BA group (IR+BA-H, 200 mg/kg bw), and a group receiving the clinical radiation protection agent amphotericin (IR+WR-2721, 30 mg/kg bw).