Title:Evaluating the Mitigation Effect of Spirulina Against Radiation-Induced
Heart Injury
Volume: 16
Issue: 1
Author(s): Mohammad Hootan Ahmadvand, Safoora Nikzad*, Sayed Payam Hashemi, Alireza khoshghadam, Fereshte Kalhori and Fatemeh Mirzaei
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences,
Hamadan, Iran
Keywords:
Spirulina, mitigation, radiation, oxidative stress, heart disease, radio thesapy.
Abstract:
Background: During a radiological or nuclear disaster, exposure to a high dose of ionizing
radiation usually results in cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, attack, and ischemia.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the mitigation effects of Spirulina in comparison
to Metformin's.
Methods: 25 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups (5 rats in each): for the control
group, rats did not receive any intervention. In group 2, spirulina was administered orally to
rats. In group 3, rats were irradiated to the chest region with 15 Gray(Gy) x-radiation. In groups 4
and 5, rats were irradiated in the same way as group 3. Forty-eight hours after irradiation, treatment
with Spirulina and Metformin began. All rats were sacrificed after ten weeks, and their heart
tissues were removed for histopathological and biochemical assays.
Results: Results showed an elevation in Malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreasing superoxide dismutase
(SOD) activity. Moreover, pathological changes of radiation were irregularities in the arrangement
of myofibrils, proliferation, migration of mononuclear cells, vacuolation of the cytoplasm,
and congestion. Administration of spirulina enhanced the SOD activity while did not affect
MDA level and pathological change in heart tissue. Despite spirulina, metformin had a considerable
effect on pathological lesions and decreased the level of MDA.
Conclusion: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be involved in the late effects of radiationinduced
heart injury, and scavenging these particles may contribute to reduced radiation side effects.
Based on these results, Spirulina had no effect on radiation-induced cardiac damage, while
metformin did. Higher Spirulina doses given over a longer period of time will likely have a greater
heart-mitigate effect.
