Ecdysterone Attenuates the Development of Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis in Rats at Early Stage
Abstract
Oral mucositis is a common adverse reaction of radiotherapy used for head and neck cancers. Our research investigates the therapeutic effect and potential mechanisms of ecdysterone, a compound which was used as a functional food additive, isolated from the root of medicine-food herbs Achyranthes bidentata (Blume), on radiation-induced oral mucositis in rats during the early development stages of mucositis. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single 20 Gy X-ray dose to the head and neck after placement of each animal in a specially-constructed 5-mm lead jig. At 24 h postirradiation, ecdysterone was administrated orally. Therapeutic effects of ecdysterone were investigated by observing weight changes and development of mucositis on days 5 and 10 after treatment. Determination of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde concentration was performed 5 days after treatment. H&E and leukocyte common antigen staining and TUNEL assays were performed 10 days after treatment. After 10 days of treatment, total protein from the tongue samples was extracted and Western blot analysis was performed to evaluate changes in protein expression. The results of this study showed that ecdysterone prevented the development of radiation-induced oral mucositis in rats during the early stages. Ecdysterone significantly attenuated radiation-induced decrease in cellular superoxide dismutase concentration and increase in malondialdehyde concentration. Ecdysterone was also linked to up-regulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and down-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3. In conclusion, these findings suggest that orally administrated ecdysterone alleviates the development of radiation-induced oral mucositis in rats with remarkable anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic activities at early stages after irradiation.
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In the early stages of radiation-induced oral mucositis, 20E treatment attenuated the radiation-induced decrease in cellular superoxide dismutase and the increase in malondialdehyde concentration.
“In the early stages of RIOM, the same research group [63] also found that 20E treatment attenuated the radiation-induced decrease in cellular superoxide dismutase and the increase in malondialdehyde concentration.”
From Molecular Targets of 20-Hydroxyecdysone in Mammals, Mechanism of Action: Is It a Calorie Restriction Mimetic and Anti-Aging Compound? (2025) · cites this paper as [63]
20E upregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl2 and downregulated pro-apoptotic Bax and activated caspase 3 in the early phase of irradiation.
“It also upregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl2 and downregulated pro-apoptotic Bax and the activated caspase 3.”
From Molecular Targets of 20-Hydroxyecdysone in Mammals, Mechanism of Action: Is It a Calorie Restriction Mimetic and Anti-Aging Compound? (2025) · cites this paper as [63]
Several published reports have written about the ROS-scavenger and antioxidant properties of 20E in several in vitro and in vivo systems.
“Several published reports have written about the ROS-scavenger and antioxidant properties of 20E in several in vitro [30,31] and in vivo systems [32,33].”
From 20-Hydroxyecdysone Confers Antioxidant and Antineoplastic Properties in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
20E increased the amount of SOD in rat tongue after irradiation.
“It was also reported that 20E increased the amount of SOD in rat tongue after irradiation [33].”
From 20-Hydroxyecdysone Confers Antioxidant and Antineoplastic Properties in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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- Authors
- Yang, L., Friedemann, T., & Pan, J.
- Affiliations
- Hefei University of Technology (CN)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Pan, Jian
- Venue
- Radiation Research
- Publisher
- Radiation Research Society
- Published
- 2021-07-08
- Volume
- 196
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 366-374
- ISSN
- 0033-7587 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3182571762
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 0.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Radiation Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Oral health in cancer treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Effects of Radiation Exposure
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Chemotherapy-induced organ toxicity mitigation
- Keywords
- 20-hydroxyecdysone, radiation-induced oral mucositis, head and neck radiotherapy, Achyranthes bidentata, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, apoptosis, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, functional food additives
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Ecdysterone, Male, Radiation Injuries, Stomatitis, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats
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