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Table 1 Potential underlying mechanisms/effects of the radioprotective agents that decrease DNA damage

From: Radioprotective agents to prevent cellular damage due to ionizing radiation

Decreased DNA damage

Induction of natural antioxidants (glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase)

Free radical scavenging activity

Decreased lipid peroxidation

Improved survival in mice and rat models

Inhibit apoptosis

Direct cell cycle effects

Reduction in post radiation exposure inflammatory response

N-acetyl cysteine, vitamin C, R-α-lipoic acid, l-selenomethionine, l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 6-o-palmitoylascorbate, carnosic acid, green tea extract, apigenin, diosmine, rosmarinic acid, δ-tocopherol, rutin, amifostine, carvacrol, inapoyl-E-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, luteolin-7-O-(2-apiosyl)-glucoside, quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, curcumin and analogs, dendrodoine analog, resveratrol, cinnamic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate GANRA-5, sodium ascorbate, α-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, isofraxidin, melatonin, watermelon juice, lactoferrin, guanine nucleotides, black grape juice, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, kukoamine A, α-tocopherol acetate, 17-β-estradiol, β carotene, eukarion, acteoside

N-acetyl cysteine, curcumin, resveratrol, melatonin, watermelon juice, guanine nucleotides, black grape juice, cafeic acid phethyl ester, kukoamine A

Carvacrol, inapoyl-E-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, luteolin-7-O-(2-apiosyl)-glucoside, GANRA-5, Sodium ascorbate, α-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, melatonin, guanine nucleotides, 17-β-estradiol

Vitamin C, inapoyl-E-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, luteolin-7-O-(2-apiosyl)-glucoside, carvacrol, curcumin, dendrodine analog, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, black grape juice, melatonin, watermelon juice

Watermelon juice, black grape juice, N-acetyl cysteine, guanine nucleotides, GANRA-5, lactoferrin amifostine

Carvacrol, acteoside, isofraxidin, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, kukoamine A, vitamin E, atorvastatin, amifostine

Resveratrol, melatonin

Carvacrol, GANRA-5, melatonin, Caffeic acid phenethyl ester

  1. Most agents presented in this paper were found to decrease DNA damage, although a mechanism was not always proposed. Free radical scavenging and induction of natural antioxidants were the most common proposed mechanisms. A decrease in lipid peroxidation was also common. A reduction in free radicals via direct scavenging activity or induction of natural antioxidants would likely lead to both decreased DNA damage and decrease in lipid peroxidation. Only a few of the agents included in this review were shown to have direct cell cycle effects; however, this was not a common area of investigation in the literature. Notably, studies on some agents also showed a reduction in the post radiation exposure inflammatory response. Some authors have suggested that this inflammatory response could be due to depletion of natural antioxidants, leading to cell injury, cell death, and associated inflammation. Thus, it is likely that agents which act as free radical scavengers or induce natural antioxidants would also lead to a reduction in post radiation inflammatory response