Acidic polysaccharide of Panax ginseng regulates the mitochondria/caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway in radiation-induced damage to the jejunum in mice

Owing to its susceptibility to radiation, the small intestine of mice is valuable for studying radioprotective effects. When exposed to radiation, intestinal crypt cells immediately go through apoptosis, which impairs swift differentiation necessary for the regeneration of intestinal villi. Our previous studies have elucidated that acidic polysaccharide of Panax ginseng (APG) protects the mouse small intestine from radiation-induced damage by lengthening villi with proliferation and repopulation of crypt cells. In the present study, we identified the molecular mechanism involved. C57BL/6 mice were irradiated with gamma-rays with or without APG and the expression levels of apoptosis-related molecules in the jejunum were investigated using immunohistochemistry. APG pretreatment strongly decreased the radiation-induced apoptosis in the jejunum. It increased the expression levels of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-XS/L) and dramatically reduced the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins (p53, BAX, cytochrome c and caspase-3). Therefore, APG attenuated the apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway, which is controlled by p53 and Bcl-2 family members. Results presented in this study suggest that APG protects the mouse small intestine from irradiation-induced apoptosis through inhibition of the p53-dependent pathway and the mitochondria/caspase pathway. Thus, APG may be a potential agent for preventing radiation induced injuries in intestinal cells during radio-therapy such as in cancer treatment.