Department of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Ramsar Campous, Ramsar, Iran.
Department of Radiopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Curr Pharm Des. 2024;30(27):2179-2186. doi: 10.2174/0113816128296224240530060011.
It has been hypothesized that piperine, the main alkaloid component of black pepper, possesses a unique radioprotective effect. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of piperine against Radiation-Induced Lung Injury (RILI) in mice.
Firstly, eighty male mice were divided into eight groups; the control group did not receive any dosage of piperine and radiation (6 Gy), and the other groups received piperine alone at doses 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, radiation, and radiation-piperine combination (6 Gy + 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg). Animals received piperine by gavage for 7 consecutive days. To investigate the effect of piperine pretreatment in mice that were exposed to radiation, histopathological and biochemical evaluations (markers of oxidative stress) were performed. Irradiation led to an increase in oxidative stress (increase in MDA and PC). Pretreatment of piperine in all three doses in irradiated mice was able to reduce oxidative stress compared to mice that were only exposed to radiation.
Piperine at a dose of 25 mg/kg exhibited the highest protective effect as compared to other doses. Also, in the histopathological examination, it was seen that pretreatment with piperine was able to improve the infiltration of inflammatory cells and reduce the thickness of the alveolar septum and air sac damage.
The outcomes completely proved significant lung protection by piperine in mice through reducing oxidative stress. This natural compound could be considered a protective agent against lung injury induced by ionizing radiation.
有假说认为，黑胡椒中的主要生物碱胡椒碱具有独特的放射防护作用。本研究旨在探讨胡椒碱对小鼠放射性肺损伤（RILI）的防护作用。
首先，将 80 只雄性小鼠分为 8 组；对照组未接受胡椒碱和辐射（6Gy），其余组分别单独给予胡椒碱（10、25 和 50mg/kg）、辐射和辐射-胡椒碱联合（6Gy+10、25 和 50mg/kg）。动物连续 7 天灌胃给予胡椒碱。为了研究胡椒碱预处理对辐射暴露小鼠的影响，进行了组织病理学和生化评估（氧化应激标志物）。辐射导致氧化应激增加（MDA 和 PC 增加）。与仅接受辐射的小鼠相比，所有三种剂量的胡椒碱预处理均可降低辐射小鼠的氧化应激。
与其他剂量相比，胡椒碱 25mg/kg 组的保护作用最高。此外，在组织病理学检查中，胡椒碱预处理能够改善炎症细胞浸润，减轻肺泡间隔和气囊损伤的厚度。
结果完全证实了胡椒碱通过降低氧化应激对小鼠肺部的显著保护作用。这种天然化合物可以被认为是一种对抗电离辐射引起的肺损伤的保护剂。
