Kaempferol protects against gamma radiation-induced mortality and damage via inhibiting oxidative stress and modulating apoptotic molecules in vivo and vitro.

To investigate the potential protective effect of kaempferol, a representative flavonoid, against radiation induced mortality and injury in vivo and vitro .C57BL/6 male mice and human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) were pretreated with kaempferol before radiation. We found that kaempferol can effectively increase 30-day survival rate after 8.5 Gy lethal total body irradiation (TBI). Mice were sacrificed at 7th day after 7 Gy TBI, we found kaempferol against radiation-induced tissues damage, by inhibiting the oxidative stress, and attenuating morphological changes and cell apoptosis. In vitro , kaempferol increased HUVECs cell viability and decrease apoptosis. It also mitigated oxidative stress and restored the abnormal expression of prx-5, Cyt-c, Caspase9 and Caspase3 in mRNA and protein level in HUVECs after radiation. Taken together, it suggests kaempferol can protect against gamma-radiation induced tissue damage and mortality. The present study is the first report of the radioprotective role of kaempferol in vivo and vitro . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]