Dietary hydroxycinnamates prevent oxidative damages to liver, spleen, and bone marrow cells in irradiation-exposed mice

Dietary hydroxycinnamates are considered as attractive materials for radioprotection. This study explores whether hydroxycinnamates protect against γ-radiation-induced cellular damages and hematopoietic stem cell senescence. C57BL/6 mice were orally administered with each of caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid (20mg/kg body weight) once per three days for five times before exposure to total body radiation (5 Gy). Irradiation increased the activities of alanine amino transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase in blood serum but decreased the anti-oxidant defense enzyme activities in the liver and spleen tissues. Oral administration of the compounds almost completely prevented irradiation-mediated changes in these enzyme activities. The hydroxycinnamates also inhibited the irradiation-mediated increases in the mitochondrial superoxide anions of Lin⁻Sca-1⁺c-Kit⁺ (LSK) cells and CD150⁺CD48⁻ LSK cells in the bone marrow. These results suggest that dietary hydroxycinnamates protect against irradiation-mediated oxidative damages of tissues and bone marrow progenitor cells.